The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-09-05

l want you to notice another inter-
esting point that has never been dilat-
ed upon in connection with the league
Of nations. am now treading upon
delicate ground and I must express
myself with caution. applause and
laughter).
There were a good many delega-
tions that visited Paris wanting to be
heard by the peace conference who
had real causes to present, which
ought to be presented to the view Of
the world. But we had to point out
to them that they did not happen, I'M
fortunately to come within the area
Of settlement; that their questions
were not questions which were neces-
sarily drawn into the things that we
were deciding. We were sitting there
with the piece of the Austria-Hungar-
ian Empire in our hands. 1t had fallen
apart; it never was naturally cohesive.
We were sitting there with various
dispersed assets of the German EN-
pire in our hands and with regard to
every one of them we had to deter
mine what we were going to do. But
we did not have our own dispersed
assets in our hands. We did not have
the assets Of the nations which consti-
tuted the body of the nations as
ISOLATED against Germany, to dispose
Of; and, therefore, we had often, with
whatever regret, to turn away from
questions that ought to some day, be
discussed and settled, and upon which
the opinion Of the world ought to be
brought to bear.
Article Eleven.
81, therefore, want to call your at
tention, if you will turn 1t up, when
you go home, to article eleven, fol-
lowing article ten, of the covenant Of
the league of nations.
That article eleven, let me say, is
the favorite article in the treaty, so
far as I am concerned. 1t says that
every matter which is likely to affect
the peace of the world is everybody's
business and that it shall be the
friendly right Of any nation to call at
tention in the league, to anything that
is likely to affect the peace of the
world, or the good understanding be-
tween nations, upon which the peace
of the world depends, whether that
matter Immediately concerns the ma
,, ton drawing attention to it, or not. In
other words, at present we have to
mind our own business. Under the
covenant Of the league Of nations we
can mind other peoples business, and
anything that affects the peace of the
world, whether we are parties to it,
or not, can by our delegates be
| brought to the attention of mankind
There is not an oppressed people
in the world which can not, henceforth
get hearing at that forum. And you
know, my fellow citizens, what hear
! ing will mean If the cause of those
people is just. The one thing which
those who have reason to dread, have
| most reason to dread, is publicity and
discussion; because if you are chal.
| lenged to give a reason why you are
doing a wrong thing, it has to be an
exceedingly odd reason, and If you
give a bad reason you confess judg.
ment and the opinion Of mankind
goes against you.
There is another thing in this Gov
enant, which was one of number OF
difficulties that we encountered at
Paris, need not tell you that at every
turn in these discussions we came
across some secret treaty, some under
| standing that had never been made
public before some understanding
that embarrassed the whole settle
ment.
Explains Shantung.
me to refer to one of these matters
When we came to the settlement of
the Shantung question, with regard to
China, we found that Great Britain
| and France were under specific treaty
obligations to Japan that she should
get exactly what she got in the treaty
with Germany; and the most that we
could dol mean that the United
States could do-was to urge upon the
representatives of Japan the very fatal
policy that was involved in such a
settlement, and obtain the promise
which she gave, that she would not
take advantage of those portions OF
the treaty, but would return, without
qualification, the sovereignty which
Germany had enjoyed in Shantune
province, to the republic of China
We have had repeated assurances
since them, that Japan intends to full
fill those promises in absolute good
faith. But my present point is that