Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1919-06-19
Only Present Hope


Washington. June Is - Declaring
opponents of the League of Nations
have conducted a campaign of mis-
representation and distortion. Sena-
tor McCumber, of North Dakota. a
Republican member of the foreign
relations committee, told the Senate
today that the League covenant Of
fered the only present hope of pre-
vent future and moreterrible wars.
I'm 20 years of service in the Sen
ate," said the North Dakota senator,
II have known but one instrument
whose terms have been so wilfully
misrepresented and so grossly mis-
interpreted as the covenant of the
League of Nations. That some Of It
is vague 1 know and some portions
Objectionable from particular view
points, but that it S:scriminates
against us. is unfair in it's treatment
of our Country or that it imposes on
us any obligation or burden that is
not equally borne by every other ma
ton, I most emphatically deny.
Suppose we now refuse to Join
with the rest Of the world in some
scheme to prevent war, what will
happen? AS surely as the sun shall
rise, every great nation will proceed
to devise means for the wholesale
destruction of nations. So desper-
ate will be the next war tina: all the
hate and all the venom created by
this struggle will be infinatesimal
compared with the next. And against
oil ~
race"
death be used? Against the white
Quoting the declaration of Sen
ator Johnson, Republican, of Cali
fornia, that America by virtue of
her isolation does not need the Eu-
ropean powers las partners" Mr..
McCumber said isolation. had long
since broken down. European quar-
rel having cost this country in the
past five years $4,000 lives and s40,-
coo 900. 900.
"Of course, not one of us would
have written this covenant just as it
has come to us. But this covenant
represents the deliberations Of ma
tions. 1t deals with complex situa-
tions.
ut comes to us as a compromise
compact. And to secure the support
of this country special concessions
have been made to us. Our Monroe
doctrine is by this instrument given
world sanction.
The members of the league under
take to preserve the territorial in
tegrfty only against external Eg-
erosion. 1t has been asserted and re-
asserted in all the false attacks on
this instrument that the United
States would be compelled to help
Great Britain preserve her domain
against her own internal revolutions
or rebellions. Nothing could be more
false. 1t is only against external ae-
erosion that the league assures its
protection.
me members of the league agree
TO the reduction of national arma-
ments. We have preached the reduce
tlon OF ornaments for years. Now.
present to me, if you can, a better
or safer plan than that provided in
thls treaty. or else acknowledge
frankly that we never intended to
tions"'
Referring to charges that the United
states would be at disadvantage in
'ne league because it has only one vote
the speaker said important decisions
would be made in the council whore III.
only votes would be one each for tho
nve great powers, with unanimous az.
ton required to effect a decision mr. tn
transfer consideration of a question to
the assembly. Answering objections
that Great Britain would have too
many votes in the assembly, he con.
tinued:
What would be the danger to us Of
having Canada, Australia and New Yea.
land, blood of our blood and bone OF our
bone, made members of the assembly,
You give black Haiti vote, YOU give
black Liberia vote. But Won denv
the great independent commonwealth Of
Canada the right to raise her voice.
But you say that the question ~
whether the matter complained of "a
a domestic one must be decided bv tho
council. Naturally someone must de-.
che that question. But remember that
the verdict must receive the affirmative
vote OF every sta.e in the world outside
the parties to the dispute, and that the
whole world must wickedly contrary to
and in defiance of the provisions of the
compact. conspire against the United
States. And to carry out such a con-
sriraey each nation would commit an
act of suicide by establishing a prece-
dent that would compel it to surrender
its own purely domestic powers to a
world league
Mr.. McCumber also declared he rer-
sonally would be opposed to leaving
Germany out Of the league. fearing
that action might lead to future divis-