New Britain herald., 1919-01-15
BORAH DENOUNCES
TAFT LEAGUE PLAN
Says It Is Calculated to Be Of.
Unreasonable Injury

Washington. Jan. 13.--Taking iss3Is
with both President wilson views as
to the esta blishmcnt Of q league ur
nations as enunciated in his speech AT
Rome and with former President
TattS announced program for an in
tcrnational league Senator Bora n
Gda MOI yesterday addressed the SEN
ate in opposition to both schemes.
He said as 3 preface TO his speech
that President Wilson's program was
based upon the organization Of tha
moral forces of the world while M.
Rats plan called for the organiza~
"on OF the military forces of all the
nations.
My discussion, however," said Sem
7lof Horah. will be confilcd to a dis
cuSSlon Of tho Taft plan That plan
is tor league founded upon force
ana is calculated to be of in7messur-
1P'c injury or or the utmost menace
lnG consequences to the peoples of
inc world. At tho time the league 10
enforce peace was first organ ized il
was apparent to those who gave IT.
consideration that il rests ultimately
upon force, upon the principle of op-
preston. But the advocates of this
particular league were very slow to adj
mt TO the public hat that was the
true construction to he placed UPON
me program. 1t was a long time be-
tore 1t was conceded that force would
nave any particular part in the main .
tenance and execution of the objects
aid purposes of this league
But We now have arrived a time
when IT is conceded that the distin-
gushing feature of this league over
all others is that il depends upon
force and whether They concede il II,
In
fundam entail principlc upon which 4
rests is that Of repression by the o..
ganizat1on of the military powers ~
the great nations of the earth. to he
used and utilized whenever those DOW
crs shall deem it proper for the re-
preston Of anything in the way Of a
contention against the policies of the
league or of tho csta blished natioas.
Naturally the first question that a
man would ask would be How are
you going to raise your armies to slls-
tam this vast military program Of this
league based upon forCe?' Would the
citizens Of the United States voIun-
tee" to enter the army for the p,1r-~
pose Of settling disputes in the Bal
kans. for instance? Would the Amer
lean boys leave their homes on the
farms or he factories for The PURPOSE
of taking part in the adjustment Of
controversy between Japan and
Russia over Manchuria How are
YOU to have a sufficient force in a free
nation With which to maintain the
program early outlined by this
league? In other words, we would
have conscription in time Of peace
we yielded to the principles Of
conscriptiOn in the great emergency
through which VIC have just passed.
but it Is certainly of extra ordinary
moment to tho people Of his country
to have presented to thcm the 0ues~
ton OF consCription in time Of peace
to obtain a force with which TO sus-
tain the proposed league"
Senator Borah next asserted that
there was no way to annex such a
league effective by means of military
power except "hy fastening conscrip-
ton upon the American people a II
time when eNcrY nation on the face
OF the earth which has had expert
ence with CONSUMPTION is now pledg-
ing its people that it shall be abrogat-
ed and eliminated from their system
He said that besides conscriptiou -.
such a league would neccssitate the
construction Of tho largest navy in
the world. and quoted Secretary Dan
icls and Rear Admiral Badger to this
effect