The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1919-05-08

NO I6HlSLI.INy All 1~EtA5 ~ - s@'~
title Of a contribution from Senator
Borah in the Christian Herald Of
April -, in which he clearly points
out Its dangers, showing conclusively
that instead of affording a guaranty
of peace, it may be easily converted
into league to promote war. Sena-
tor Borah says:
The safest guarantee of peace is the
popular voice. If league or an al
lance can be formed under which the
people are given control OF the SUI
preme issue Of peace or war 1t VIII De
substantial step toward lasting
peace, But all plans which leave the
issue in the hands of few men UNI
checked and unrestrained by the pop
ular command are but the reproduce
ton of the old system under which
Europe has been tortured and deci-
mated for three centuries. Give the
machinery by which you are to pre-
vent war over to the ultimate do'nln-
ance of the people If you hope for re-
This fearful war which has just
closed was Matched in the chancellor
les of Europe. For three decades a
few men entrusted with unrestrained
power In foreign affairs falsiied and
deceived as in the Morocco affair, and
schemed and conspired as in multi
tude of Incidents, until official Eur
ope was saturated with suspicion and
jealousy and hate. The situation was
fallow for the incident in Bosnia and
the sinister move of an unconscion-
able and ambitious ruler bent upon
world dominion, The people upon
whom the fearful sacrifice was to fall
were powerless either in Germany or
elsewhere to check or stay the on
rushing trend of events. Their in
terests We're not considered and their
wishes were wholly disregarded. A
few men sitting behind closed doors,
entrusted with the power of life and
death over their fellows, some
through ignorance, some from design,
drove straight for this cataclysm of
suffering and death. Secrecy and
heredity, deceit and ambition played
their wild game, and the masses wait
ed uniformed and powerless for the
hour of slaughter.
There has not been a war in Europe
in two centuries which has not been
brought on largely in the same way.
Now it is proposed in the interests
of peace to remove still farther from
the people the power to say whether
or not there shall be peace or war
The public voice is silenced entirely
There is at the present time in some
countries at least like our own, a
partial check on the part of the peo-
Pile But the power to engender, TO-
ment and order or bring about a con-
dition of war is now to be placed In
the hands of five men, nine at the
most, over whom the people have and
will have absolutely no control, nc
check Not only are these men tC
have the actual authority under the
league to bring on war, but by lati-
tudinous and unrestrained discretion
they are to be placed in a position
where they can foment or through ig-
norance design or engender a war al
any time, and the masses of the peo-
pie are helpless except to openly re-
bel and to utterly disregard the obli-
cation of the league. If the league is
to be lived up to, If the contract into
which it is proposed that we enter be
observed, these men will have under
their absolute control the issue of
peace or war
This proposed constitution creates
first an executive council composed in
the beginning of the representatives
from five great nations and the repre-
sentation of four other nations to be
added. If a majority is to control,
then three in the first instance and
five in the last would control the
council In any event nine men would
control the council. This council is
authorized to deal with any matter
within the sphere of action of the lea
que "or affecting the peace of the
world" And Article XI provides that
war or threat of war" whether i'm
mediately affecting any of the high
contracting parties or not, is hereby
declared a matter of concern to the
latter and the high contracting par
ties reserve the right to take any ac
ton that may be deemed wise and eff
fectual to safeguard the peace of ma
tions. So we have for It's jurisdiction
everything affecting the peace of the
world and everything which threatens
war, whether these things come from
members of the league or from other
nations. The issue of peace or war of
the whole world is therefore within
the easy reach of the jurisdiction OF
the league.
Now as an illustration, let us take
Article X. The high contracting par
ties undertake to respect and preserve
against external aggression the terri
torial integrity and existing political
independence of all members of the
league This is a solemn, uncondi-
tional guarantee not only to respect
but to preserve the territorial integ-
rity and political independence of all