Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-02-28

"All People, men and women alike,
who are capable of connected thought
abhor war and desire nothing so much
as to make secure the future peace Of
the world.
at IL almost needless to say that the
question now before us is so momentous
that I. transcends all party lines Party
considerations and party interests dis
appear In dealing with such question
as this. I will follow any man and vote
for any measure which In my honest
opinion will make for the maintenance
OF the worlds peace. I will follow no
man and vote for no measures which
however well intended. seem in my hest
Judgment to lead to dissensions rather
than TO harmony among the nations or
TO injury, peril or injustice to my
country.
MY one desire is that not only tho
Senate, which IL charged with rcspon-
sibility, but that the press and the
neople of the country should investigate
every proposal with the utmost thorough.
ness and weigh them all carefully be-
fore they make up their mind.
"If there Is any plan which will not
hear, which will not court, the most
thorough md most public discussion,
that makes It an object of suspicion at
the very outset.
Mere Rhetoric won't DO
Beware of it: be on your guard
against It, Demand that those who op.
pose the plan now offered present argu-
ments and reasons, based on facts and
history. and that those who favor II
meet objections with something more
relative than rhetoric, personal denun-
citation, and shrill shrieks that virtue is
to be preferred to vice and that peace
is better than war. Glitterng and en-
tcing generalities will not serve.
I'VE now have before Is the draft OF
a constitution for league of nations
prepared by commission or committee
which is to be submitted to the repre-
sentatives of the nations. The nations.
through their delegates, have not agreed
to IL. II has not passed beyond the
stage of a committee report 1t is open
to amendment and change in the Peace
Conference
"The senate eau take no action upon
Il, but II lies open before US for criti-
cism and discussion. What Is said IN
the Senate ought to be placed before
the Peace Conference and published In
Paris, so that the foreign governments
may be Informed as to the various views
expressed here.
t"is u'"it ,,t1rg Witch
sNuo, " ue - A., ,ar,Il,,
NV ,S Deio'e -, ue W. in,arnrata,ion Of
S ,,raad,, difrer As
II stands there is serious danger that
the very nations which sign the consti-
tuition of the league will quarrel about
the meaning of the various articles be-
fore twelvemonth has passed.
"It seems to have been very hastily
s ,.s,..,t.,oI 4
-, ,,,,ht :
,,a h,Io,s
. A., -,
,,'I IT.,
,,.,tuo,
mus "e "aoo 80 '"ar ""'
.""' my M ~
"s VI '"e
arc TO oe "skeo 10 set our """'''
Objects to Argument in Treaty
"rhe language of these articles does
not annear 70 me to have the precision
ard unmIs,akable character which a
cons,,,ut,on treaty or a law ought 10
nresent The language only too fire.
nuen,Iv &c not the language Of laws OF
s,a,u,ss Tba article concerning man.
datorlas for example contains an ar.
ynn,ent and a statement of existing
conditions Arguments and historical
S.n,. 49,. ~ ,,,aoa T., sta,ute 81, 9
+rsat,, S,a,,,,or,, ard IagaI Ianpuap,
80. sss.t ia oorar,anG No, srg,,
s ssis
anu
The suggestion that We can safei
Sign because we can always violate
abrogate Is fatal not only to any lesgu
but to peace itself. You cannot foun'
Np
I'VE are left to infer that any nstio
Withdrawing from the league expose
itself to penalties and probably to war.
|"The explanation or Interpretation o
any Of these doubtful passages Ia nd
suficient II made by one man, wheths
that man be the President of the Unite
ststes, or q senator. or any one els
These questions and doubts must
answered and removed by the instrumeI
itself
.uvs abandon entirely nv the propose
cors,,tu,ion the nolicy laid down h
va.hington in his Farewell Address ar
~. Monroa Doctr,ne II is worse tha
;d,s 4, ,s not honest. 20 evade or den
- nj. fact and every fair-minded su,
nor-ter of this draft plan for leagI
admits IT,
81 know that some of the ardent az
yocates of the plan submitted to us r
gard any suggestion of the importan
Of the Washington policy as foolish az
irrelevant. Perhaps IL Is; Fei ia pS HI y
time has come Wheh the poIio,eS oi 'r
ington shouid pe apaiuoieu, ~.
are to cast them ASIDE l tniak ma.
least 1t should De Done Iespecttuis al o.
with sense OF gratltuue u INC SIC
man who Formulated the"''