The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-06-18
WORLD LEAGUE
! OR WORSE WAR,
SAYS SENATOR
Covenant Consistent With u.
S. Policy, McCdmber De-
clares in Speech in Senate.
lBy Associated Press


WASHINGTON, June 18.-Declar-
ing opponents Of the league of nations
have conducted a. campaign of misre-
presentation and distortion. Senator
McCumber of North Dakota, Repub-
lican member of the foreign relations
committee, told the senate today that
the league covenant offered the only
present hope of preventing future and
more terrible wars.
Replying to arguments of many Re-
publican senators, he upheld the league
as entirely consistent with the Amer
lean constitution and devoid of any
ability to dangerously entangle or cur
tail American interests.
In twenty years of service In the
senate" said the North Dakota SEN
ator, sI have known but one instru-
ment whose terms have been SO will
fully misinterpreted and SO grossly
misrepresented as the covenant of the
league of nations. That some of it is
vague, know, and some portions OBJ
jectionable from particular viewpoints.
"But that it discriminates against
US, is unfair in its treatment of our
country, or that it imposes on US any
obligation or burden that is not equal.
ly borne by every other nation, most
emphatically deny. It is regrettable
that the mighty power of eloquence
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.
Next War to be Worst.
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 ma.
tion will proceed to devise means fol
the wholesale destruction of nations
So desperate will be the next war that
all the hate and all the venom Great
ed by this struggle will be infinitesi
NAL compared with the next. And
against what race will all these weap
| ons of death be used? Against the
| white race"
"Of course none of US would have
written this covenant just as it has
come to us. But this covenant rep
resents the deliberations of nations
1t deals with complex situations +
comes to us as a compromise com
pact. And to secure that support o
this country special concessions have
been made to us. Our Monroe doc
trine is by this instrument given 6
world sanction.
THE members of the league under
take to preserve the territorial integ
rity only against external aggression
A community of landowners, whert
there is no other lay to appeal to, ma,
most properly unite to protect thu
land of each an deveryone agains
the avariciously inclined. 1t has beer
asserted and re-asserted in all thu
false attacks on this instrument tha
the United States would be compelled
to help Great Britain preserve her do
minion against her own internal rev
olutions or rebellions Nothing coult
be more false.
Denies Disadvantages.
The members of the league agre,
| to the redustion of national arma
ments. We wave aloft the banner
of sovereignty and independence as
scare crow to frighten these who d,
not consider that every compact o
treaty between nations that has eve
been adopted is just as much SUI
render of our sovereignty and nat
ional independence as though tn
same treaty were made enbloc witt
all the nations. Now present to me,
you can, better or a safer plan thai
that provided in the treaty, or els
acknowledge frankly that we neve
intended to conform our acts to GU
declarations"
Referring to charges that the Unite
States would be at disadvantage Il
the league because she only has on
vote, the speaker, said the importan
decisions would be made in the cour
- ~