The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1919-06-19
LEAGUE CONSISTENT
WITH CONSTITUTION
Declared Sen. McCumber of North Da-
kota in Address During Which He De-
clared Opponents Had Conducted
Campaign of Misrepresentation
and Distortion.

Washington, d. c., June l9.--Declar-
ing opponents of the league of nations
have conducted a campaign of misrepre-
sentation and distortion, Senator Me-
Cumber of North Dakota, Republican
member OF the foreign relations commit
tee, told the Senate yesterday that the
league covenant offered the only present
hope Of preventing future and more ter
rible wars.
Replying to arguments Of many Re
publican senators, he upheld the league
as entirely consistent with the American
constitution and devoid Of any ability
dangerously to entangle or curtail Amer
lean interests.
"In 20 years of service in the Senate"
said the North Dakota senator, Il have
known but one instrument whose terms
have been SO misinterpreted and so
grossly misrepresented as the covenant
of.the league of nations. That some of
it is vague, ! know, and some portions
Objectionable from particular viewpoints,
but that it discriminates against us, is
unfair in its treatment of our country,
or that ii imposes on us any obligation
or burden that is not equally borne by
every other nation, ! most emphatically
deny II is regrettable that the mighty
power of eloquenee is used to defame
and distort the true meaning of an
instrument, the most important that
ever appealed to the heart or the soul Of
man.
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
the next war will be created And
against what race will all these weapons
of death be used? Against the white
race"
Quoting the declaration of Senator
johnson, Republican, of California, that
America, by virtue of her isolation does
not need the European powers as part
ners," Mr.. McCumber said isolation had
long since broken down, European
quarrel having cost this country in the
laST wear OU,UUU lives anu OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
"There is no moral duty incumbent
upon any man in his relation to his fell
low man., he continued, that is not
equally incumbent upon nation in its
relation to every other nation. What
would you say of the strong, vigorous
man who would stand on the shore and
see woman struggling in the waves
while he, folding his muscular arms an
nounces, oh, that is no concern of mine,
she is not my wife or daughter Oh
saw opponents of the league of the ma
tions, we can make up our minds what
10 do when the occasion arises What
want us to do is to be right there on the
spot when the occasion arises. Had the
United States been right on the spot
with an agreement signed by us and
signed by Germany that Germany would
not make war on France or any other
country without submitting to league
of nations the question of the righteous
ness of her cause, the world would have
been spared this awful conhagration.
''You talk about our entering this war
for great world principle. The man
who makes that assertion knows that he
falsifies the record He knows that we
never once said to Germany, You have