The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-07-16

ISometlme m looking after tne legal rights of Uncle Sam in connection with the latter's vast holdings in this commonwealth.
 government, and every government l must have defined rne details of it's
 organized life and the principles for | which it was created. In passing, let
 me say that I do not regard the league as a supergovernment. No supergov- ernment could exist without power to maintain itself. Within itself the | league has no power to levy taxes and without a revenue a government can not long exist. The league has no power to raise armies and navies. and
 without military forces it cannot de- | fend itself It is. therefore. not supergovernment. but federation of l states, dependent for it's ev i''
 the future voluntary acquiescence in
 it's continued life of few of me sI
 nations of the world Within tAe | terms of the contract is carried the | provision that any of the s'natory
 powers to the created organization
 may withdraw from the compact upon l giving two years notice. The an- nouncement of the withdrawal from
 the compact by either France, the l United States or Great Britain would
 at once destroy the binding force and !
 worlds affairs. So, with the right .o
 withdraw, I feel that there is no need l to fear the dangerous surrender of any of the fundamer tal principles and
 rights of the American people. There l fore,-I am willing to take it and try 1 it and hope from the seed that is planted today, in its fruition the final
 peace of the world may be found.
 FUTURE LIFE DEPENDS ;nfn faI iv, hn nri ciples enunciated in the clauses re1at- l ing to the league of nations than I
 am in the powers given for it's gov-s | ernment, for on these principles the future life of the league must depend. l I would have been glad to subscribe
 to a contract that would have arbi | trarily limited the armaments of the
 world. Such decree is not found | within the contract, but there is covenant that seeks to keep the peace of the world: that authorizes the ex- l ecutive council of the league to con slider how much the present arma- ! ments of nations should be reduced l and submit it's conclusions to each member nation of the league, which
 may then agree or not agree to ac- l cept the recommendation. In other | words. each nation will finally agree | to the limitation of it's OWN armament, and having so agreed must keep it as | | league. This is not a strong or def | mite agreement, but out of it's terms
 I am hopeful that there will come gradual disarmament of the world. the | lifting of the burden of the prepara-
 tion for war from the shoulders Of
 striving klmanity and the greater in- | ducement to settle disputes through | the high court of arbitration rather | than the decision of brutal force. Another vital principle that we are asked to agree to. is that all of the
 members of the league shall submit diff l ferences between them that are not cap | able of being settled by negotiation be- | fore a tribunal to be composed of judges | or arhitrators agreed by them, and after entering into the arbitration. thev are 1 required to abide by the award. Should either party to the dispute refuse to i agree to arbitration. the executive coun- | ci1 of the league is required to mediate l between them, and endeavor to secure voluntary settlement of the questions in volved. If 1t fails in this. the council is~
 to report on the facts. If the report is 1 unanimous. the member nations are to carry 1t into effect. If it is not unani- | nous. it is to be published, and there the matter will end. so far as the league I Is concerned, except that the moral sua- ] sion of the verdict rendered may have the powerto avoid the arbitrament of arms.
 Another principle involved that will aid the world in guarding aeainst war is a clause in the covenant which provides that the nation shall not begin war until three months after the arbitration award or the recommendation of a compromise
 This undoubtedly will operate as a great | restraint against war. It is not at all probable that nations involved will not allow the three months limit to expire before attempting actual hostilites under any circumstances, and take the chances of bringing on their heads the condem- nation of the other nations of the world Three months time for discussion and reflection, with the world looking on and discussing the problems involved, is more likely to point the road to peace than to find the to war
 LEAGUES GREAT PRINCIPLE The greatest principle of the league tending to keep the peace of the world is that which declares that "the high contracting parties to this treaty shall undertake to respect and preserve against
 external aggression the political inde-
 pendence and territorial integrity of every member of the league" Most of the wars that have been waged in the ages that have passed have had as their governing cause the desire to conquer
 and control another people, or to expand the territory of the county that is the |
 centive for wars growing out of a self ish desire for aggression, as the over weening force of this covenant will do.
 and few actual causes of war will remain
 that cannot without difficulty or dan~er
 be sumitted to the high court of arbi- tration.
 I have, therefore. reached the conclu-
 sion that, as nation. we will be better
 off in the worlds affairs by accepting
 the terms of the organization of the
 present league of nations. than to de-
 stroy all opportunity for the establish
 ment of a worlds tribunal of peace by
 the rejection of the treaty at this time, and I shall, therefore, cast my vote
 against all amendments proposed to ,he
 treaty that may delay its ratification
 and send it back to Paris for further de-
 lays and deliberation. I shall vote for
 the ratification of the treaty as who.e.
 believing as do, although it may have
 imperfections within its folds. and it
 may not express in it's entirely the high
 ideals of everlasting peace. yet that 1t
 is a long step in the right direction. It
 is the building of the road that leads
 away from the war and the cruelties of
 strife. It is the starting of the highway