New Britain herald., 1919-08-12

seek to meddle In the a11dlrS or Flu rope and keep Europe out of the Americas. It is as important to keep the United States out of European af- fairs as to keep Europe out or the American continents.
 Purely American Doctrine.
 Tt was purely an American doc Urine, purely American policy, designed and wisely designed for our defense It has never been an in ternational engagement No nation has ever formally recognized it. It has been the subject of reservation at international conventions by Am erican delegates. It has never been a regional understanding or an understanding of any kind with any body. It was the declaration of the United States of America, in their own behalf, supported by their own power. They brought it into being and it's life was predicated on the force which the United States could place behind it. Unless the United States could sustain it, it would die. The United States has supported it. It has lived-strong, efficient, respect ed It is now proposed to kill it by a provision in a treaty for a League of Nations.
 Monroe Doctrine Ours.
 "Why, in the name of peace, should we extinguish it? Why, in the name of peace, should we be called upon to leave the interpretation of the Monroe Doctrine to other na- tions? It is an American policy. It is our own. It has guarded us we'll, and l for one can never find consent in my heart to destroy it by a clause in a treaty and hand over it's body for dissection to the nations of Europe.
 Another point in this covenant where change must be made in order to protect the safety of the United States in the future is in Article 1, where withdrawal is provided for. As it now stands it reads that
 "'Any member of the league may, after two years notice of it's inten- tion to do so, withdraw from the league, provided that all it's interna- tionaI obligations and all it's obliga- tions under this covenant shall have been fulfilled at the time of it's with drawaI.'
 League Can Decide. "Whatever virtue there may be in the right thus conferred is completely nullified by the proyso. The league alone can decide whether all inter- national obligations and all Obliga- 1 tions under this covenant have been fulfilled. and this would reQire, under 1 the pru isions of the league, unan- l imOus vote, that any nation de- 1 siring to withdraw could not do so 1 even on the two years notice, if one l nation voted that the obligations had l not been fulfilled. Remember that | this gives the league not only power 1 to review all our obligations under | the covenant but all our treaties with l all nations for every one of those is an International obligation
 Right of Withdrawal. l Are we deliberately to put our ] selves in letters and be examined by 1 the League of Nations as to whether we have kept faith with Cuba Or
 to leave the league? The right of
 withdrawal, if it is to be of any value
 whatever, must be absolute, because 1 otherwise a nation desiring to with
 draw could be held in the league by l objections from other nations until
 the very act which induces the na-
 tion to withdraw had been completed;
 until the Withdra wing ation had 1 been forced to send troops to take ! concern and upon which it did not l desire 10 enter.
 Any analysis of the provisions of