The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-09-05
SPEAKS AS AMERICAN

T am making this journey as an American and as a champion of rights which America believes in and I need not tell you that compared with the independence of America the impor- tance of the democratic party and the importance of the republican party and the importance of every other party is absolutely negligible. Parties my fellow citizens, are intended to em- body in action different policies of gov ernment They are not, when properly used, intended to traverse the prnci- pies which underiie government and the principles which underlie the gov- ernment of the United States have been familiar to us ever since we were children. -
 T want you to notice another inter esting point that has never been di- lated upon in connection with the league of nations. I am now tread ing upon delicate ground and I must express myself with caution.
 There were a good many delega tions that visited Paris wanting to be heard by the peace conference who had real causes to present and which ought to be presented to the view of the world. But we had to point out to them that they did not happen. unfor tunately, to come within the area of settlement; that their questions were not questions which were necessarily drawn into the things that we were de-
 T, therefore, want to call your at tention, if you will turn it up when you go home, to article II, following arti- cle 10, of the covenant of the league Qf nations.
 That Article II, let me say. is the favorite article in the treaty so far as I am concerned. It says that every rr,~a far Id trL ,., -aI- y-s peace of the world is everybodys busi- ness and that it shall be the friendly right of any nation to call attention, in the league. to anything that is like ly to affect the peace of the world, pr the good understanding between na- tions upon which the peace of the world depends. whether that matter immediately concerns the nation draw ing 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 1t or not, can by our delegates be brought to the attention of mankind.
 There Is not an oppressed people in the world who cannot, 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 reason why you are doing a wrong thing it has to Be an exceedingly good reason, and if you give bad reason you confess judg- ment and the opinion of mankind goes against you.
 MANY SECRET TREATIES
 There is another thing in this covenant, which was one of a number of difficulties that we encountered at Paris l need not tell you that at every turn in these discussions we came across some secret treaty, some understanding that had never been made public before: some understand ing that embarrassed the whole set tlement.
 T think it will not be improper for me to refer to one of those 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 the most that the United States could do-was to urge upon the representatives Of the Japan ese the very fatal policy that was in- volved in such settlement. and on- tain from her the promise which she gave, that she would not take ad- vantage of those portions of the treaty. but would return without quAl- ification the sovereignty which Ger many had enjoyed in Shantung prov ince to the republic of China. We have had repeated assurances since then that Japan intends to fulfill those promises in absolute good faith. But my present point is that there stood at the very gate of that settlement d