New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-09-28
A Question Answered

the President denounced at Salt Lake
City as Cutting out the heart OF the
covenant" This substitute is understood
to have been drawn by the mild reser
vationsts' in the Senate, who think the
Foreign Relations Committees draft too
brusque in form and tone.
The paraphrased reservation which
Mr. Wilson read follows
"The United States assumes no obiga-
ton under the provisions of Article X to
preserve the territorial integrity or
political independence of any other
country or to interfere in controversies
between other nations, whether members
of the league or not, or to employ mill
tary and naval forces of the United States
under any article for any purpose unless
in any particular case Congress- which
under the Constitution has the sole
power TO declare or authorize the
employment Of military and naval force:
of the United States-shall by act or
Joint resolution so declare"
The World wants to know whether
this means that the United States as
sumes no obligations Of any kind except
by the action of Congress in a particular
case" or whether it means that the
United States assumes no obligations to
employ the military and naval forces of
the United States except by the action of
Congress in d particular case" We be-
ieye it is d fair inference that under the
language Of the reservation the United
States would assume no obligation ul-
der Article X except by action of Con-
gress in particular case, and would as
sumo no obligations to employ it's mill
tary and naval forces, under Article X
on any other article, except by action Of
Congress in a particular case. Senator
McCumber's substitute for the commit
tees reservation goes little further in
that it would have the United States as
sumo no obligation to apply economic
pressure--what the President calls the
automatic economic boycott-eXcept by
action of Congress.
Does the reservation which the Presi-
dent condemned at Salt Lake City ''cut
out the heart of the covenant?
1t certainly doesn't cut out the heart
Of the covenant as it Was interpreted by
the President himself in the conference
with the members Of the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee on August 10. For
The Worlds benefit we are going to re-
produce Mr.. " ison 5 very clear explana-
ton of the character of the obligation i'm
posed on the United States to accept a
recommendation made by the League
Council under the provisions Of Article
x. He said positively hat there was no
legal obligation; that the only obligation
vas moral. But into moral obligation,
no added the element of Judgment must
enter Discussing a case like the recent
invasion of Hungary by Rumania, Sena-
tor Brandegee asked whether the United
States would not have been morally
bound to send troops to protect Hungary,
at request from the council. The Pres
ident replied:
81 quite agree with you that mora
obligation is TO be fulfilled, and I am con.
tldent that our nation will fulfil it, but
that does not remove from euch individual
case the element of Judgment, which We
are free to exercise in two stages. We
are first free to exercise it in the vote OF
our representative in the council, who
will, of course be under instructions from
the home government; and in the seconc
place we are to exercise it when the Pres
ldent acting upon the action of the couu
ell, makes his recommendation to Con
gress Then Congress is TO exercise 1t.
judgment to Waethsr the instruction,
Of the Executive to our member 81 tn,
council Wers trell founded or not. ono
sehether this is case Of distinct mora
obligation"
The discussion Of Article X ended with
this passage:
Senator Brandegee-Then on cal
from the council for us to perform GU,
international contract under Article X i
Congress does not favor performing it
YOU think would not be subject t,
criticism by other members of the league
1.-THE President-Oh, we might be subjec
to criticsm but think Congress rvoult
be at liberty to form it's own judgment a.
to the circumstance.
Senator Brandegee-I agree with yo,
entirely and under our Constitution Con
gress would have to do SO.
"The President-Yes; that is understood
BY all"
We do not see how a more complete
argument than this could be made to sus
tain the Interpretation of the obligations
Of the United States which the trainers
OF the mild" substitute for Reservation
Two adopted. AS regards the employ
u.nent Of the nations military and naval
'~Iorces. under Article X or any other arti-