davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
New-York tribune., 1919-03-20
Navy ON Great Lakes
Limited in 1917

Inc limitation of armaments by
treaty is very old. More than one hun
dred years ago, in 1877, an agreement
was made with England to limit the
naval forces Of the two countries upon
the Great Lakes.
Treaties to guarantee the integrity
ana independence Of another country
are OF a more recent date. Article IS
OF OF the treaty of 1846 states that the
ohitea states guarantees, positively
ana efflcaciously, to New Granada. by
the present stipulation, the perfect
neutrality of the before mentioned
lsthmus, with the view that the free
transit from the one TO the other sea
may not be interrupted or embarrassed
IN any future time in which this treaty
eXlsts' and IN consequence the United
states also guarantees. in the sam.
manner, the rights of sovereignty and
property which New Granada has and
possesses over the said territory.
IN IKE manner the treaty of 1903
WIN Panana states in its first article :.
-, Inc United States guarantees and
VIII MAINTAIN the independence of the
Nepupllc OF Panama Still more re-
Gently the treaty with Hayti ratified bv
the Senate on February %. 1915. nro,
yldes IN Article XIV that the United
states Will lend an efficient aid for
the preservation of Haytian indepe1d-
ence.' Each Of these treaties implied
gong to war if necessary, and the la st
says so expressly.
within the last few years the So
called Bryan treaties have been made
Wh1ch cover the remaining point, that
or an agreement not to 60 to war be-
fore arbitration.
1T IS little late in the day for
opponents of the covenant of Paris 10
discover that its treaty obligations are
unconstitutional, and hence that all the
foregoing treaties are null and void.
rms covenant is not perfect; it is
draft published for criticism and will
receive plenty of it, and through criti-
c1sm some improvement also But even
when perfected it will not be perfect.
Nothing human is perfect; still more.
1T VIII not satisfy everybody. In the
nature of things it is an attempt to
harmonize the views of many nations
and of many people within each nation"
New-York tribune., 1919-03-20

of the United States, to expand by ove-'-
running its weaker neignbors. They
appeal to spirit of patriotism that
sees no objects, holds no ideals and
acknowledges no rights or duties but
the national welfare and aggrandize-
ment.
Finally an objection is made to the
covenant on the ground that its pro-
visions are contrary TO the Constitu-
that an obligation assumed by treaty
to limit military or naval forces and
ornaments in this country is contrary
to the provision of the Constitution
which vests in Congress the power to
ralse and support armies; that the OBJ
legation not to go to war without pre-
vlous arbitration, or, perchance, to go
to war under certain contingencies, is
contrary to the provision vesting in
Congress the power to declare war;
that the same is true of the obligation
to preserve against external aggression
the territorial integrity and political
independence Of the other members of
the league, because this may involve
war; and that the obligation to prevent
commercial intercourse with the people
Of an offending country is contrary to
the provision which confers on Con-
gress the power to regulate commerce
with foreign nations. It is contended
that treaty which regulates any of
these things impairs the power of Con-
gress to do SO and is, therefore. uncon-
stitutional
.Now it so happens that all these
things have been regulated by treaties
already made, still in existence and
duly ratified by the Senate. Treaties
regulating commerce in various ways
have been common, and are too nu-
merous to require citation. No doubt
they have. often been authorized by
Congress, but so can this covenant If
II is deemed necessary. With that au-
thhorlzatlon, and sometimes without it,
there has been no question of their
constitutionalitY.
New-York tribune., 1919-03-20


was in consultation sor was talking
with Theodore Roosevelt in regard to
it. His position and mine did not
differ.
"On December 81 I made speech in
the Senate in which discussed the
fourteen points and some of the mo-
mentous questions raised by the propo-
sition for league OF, nations.
Colonel Roosevelt wrote an article
upon that speech, approving it and
commencing it. 4 read a single para
graph from it:
''Our need is not so great as that of
the vast scattered British Empire, for
our domains are pretty much. in a
ring fence. We ought not to undertake
the task of policing Europe, Asia and
Northern Africa; neither ought we to
permit any interference with the Mon
roe Doctrine, nor any attempt by Europe
or Asia TO police America. Mexico is
our Balkan peninsula. Some day we will
have to dal with it. All the coasts and
islands which in any way approach the
Panama Canal must be dealt with by
this nation, and by this nation in ac-
cordance with the Monroe Doctrine
New-York tribune., 1919-03-20
Overseas Mandatory
A Grave Responsibility

at has been suggested that we
should take charge of Armenia and
Mesopotamia and Syria. l am not go
ing to argue it at length. l am not as
deeply opposed to that provision as
many others-as most other people are
as l believe the American people are.
But 1T is very grave responsibility to
take-to take charge of some distant
people, furnish them with civilians to
carry on their government, furnish
them with an army to protect them,
and send our young men away on that
business.
Then comes Article X. That is the
most important article in the whole
treaty. That is the one that | want the
American people to considerable it
to their homes and their fresides, dis
cuss it, think of it. If they commend
1T, the treaty will be ratified and pro-
claimed with that in it. But think Of
1t first, think we'll. That pledges us to
guarantee the political independence
and the territorial integrity against
member of the league That is every
nation of the earth. We ask no guar
antees; we have no endangered
frontiers; but we are asked to guar
antee the territorial integrity of every
nation, practically, in the world-it
will be when the league is completed.
AS it is to-day we guarantee the ter
ritorial integrity and political inde-
pendence of every part of the far
flung British Empire
Now, mark; a guarantee is never
invoked except when force is needed.
If we guaranteed one country in South
America alone, we should be. bound to
go to the relief of that country with
our army and navy. We, under that
clause OF the treaty have got to take
our army and our navy and go to war
with any country which attempts ag-
gression upon the territorial integrity
OF another member Of the league.
Now guarantees must be fulfilled.
They are sacred prcmises~--it has been
said only morally binding. Why that
is all there is to treaty between
great nations. If they are not morally
binding they. are nothing but "scraps
Of Taper" II the United States agree q
TO Article X we must carry ii out in
letter and spirit. and IL 1t is agreed to
should insist that we did, because
the honor and good faith of our coun~
try would be ut stake.
Noyb That IL a tremendous pxomjss
New-York tribune., 1919-03-20
Would Not Have Country
Forced to Break Treaty.

Personally, I am too old; cannot
divide it now. My first allegiance must
stay where it has always been, to the
people of the United States, my own
people.
Il have no doubt that this great
country, which has no alliances, which
seeks no territory, which desires
nothing so much as TO keep the peace
and save the world from all the hor-
rors it has been enduring-I want her
left in a position to do that work and
not submit her to a vote of other ma
tions, with no resource except to break
treaty which she wishes to main
tain.
"The verdict of the people will be in
favor of doing everything that this
mighty nation can for the preservation
of the worlds peace, but not to allow
the United States to be put in posi-
ton where she will be in a degree en-
dangered, weakened or crippled. l want
to see her stand as she always has stood,
for the right, for mercy, for health and
benefit to all men, to the oppressed and
to those who struggle for freedom, all
alike. Let her go on in her benehcent
career, and l want to see her stand as
she has always stood, strong and alive,
triumphant, free"
New-York tribune., 1919-03-20
Denies Foreigners Right
TO Dictate immigration

"There is the question of immigra-
ton, which this treaty reaches under
the non-justiciable questions. I am
told, l believe I have followed it
through all the windings, that final
decision could only be reached by una
nimity, and it is said that the league
would not be unanimous. think that
highly probable, but I deny the juris-
dlction. cannot personally accede to
the proposition that other nations, that
body of men in executive council
where we as nation have but one
vote, shall have any power, unanimous
or otherwise, to say who shall come
into the United States. 1t must not
be within the jurisdiction of the league
at all. 1t lies at the foundation of ma
tional character and national we'll
being. There should be no possible
jurisdiction over the power which de-
fends this country from food of jap
anese, Chinese and Hindu labor.
"The tariff is involved in the article
for the boycott. The coastwise trade is
involved in Article XXI. l think we
ought to settle our own import duties.
They say it is domestic question. So
it is. So is immigration. But they are
domestic questions with international
relations
This treaty is indissoluble. There
is no provision for withdrawal or ter
mination. In the old days-very old
days-they were in the habit of be-
ginning treaties by swearing eternal
friendship, which made them last no
longer That has been given up. In
modern times almost all the treaties
that we now have contain provisions
for termination or withdrawal on no.
tice. If there is no provision for with
drawal you are thrown back on de-
nunciation or abrogation by one ma
finn
New-York tribune., 1919-03-20

does not know the way; he has 10
light. He falls into a trench. breaks
his leg, and the errand Of mercy re-
mains unperformed.
~ wish to have the American people
understand the road they are travelling
I want them to have light, plenty Of
light-the daylight; not go through a
dark tunnel of outrageous words with
nothing to see except at the end, the
dim red light of internationalism. Let
us be careful where we tread. You
are about to exchange the government
of Abraham Lincoln, of the people. for
the people, by the people. for gov
ernment of, for and by other people.
"Be sure that the exchange is for
the better and not for the worse.
When we abandon the teachings of
Washington and Lincoln, let us be
sure, as we enter on the road of inter.
nationalism, that we do not go too far
toward the sinister figures at the other
end-TrOtZkv and Ienine ~
New-York tribune., 1919-03-20
Nations Have Right
To Safeguard Peace

"The principle should apply not only
to disputes among the members Of
the league, but also to dissensions be-
tween other nations not belonging to
the league, because war, like fire, has
tendency to spread, and no one in
a community has a right to start a
conflagration which his neighbors
have not right to put out.
"Although the penalty against the
aggressor is automatic in the sense
that it does not depend upon the ac-
tion of an international council, never
theless such council for purposes,
not of command, but of consultation,
is highly beneficial. 1t tends to re-
move friction by enabling nations to
understand one another's point of
view, and to reconcile or adjust diff
ferences before they reach an acute
stage.
ut will, think, be generally agreed
by all persons who desire league Of
nations that these points are the cs-
sential minimum of any league that
Let us examine how far the covenant
of Paris covers these points and what
else it covers.
"The covenant is very defective in
it's drafting. In places it is so OBJ
scure that the meaning is often in
accurately expressed and sometimes
doubtful. 1t is easily misunderstood,
and has in fact been widely misunder-
stood. To give single example of
what must be defective drafting,
Article XVI provides that if any coun-
try resorts to war, in disregard of its
covenant, the members of the league
shall Immediately prevent all financial,
commercial and personal intercourse be-
tween the nationals Chat is, the citi-
zens) of the covenant breaking state
and the. nationals of any other state,
whether member of the league or not.
1t is not difficult for members of the
league to prevent their own citizens
from trading with the citizens of the
offending country, but how about the
citizens of other countries not members
of the league? No doubt the trainers
of this clause had in mind blockade; (;
but what if the offenders and frontiers
border upon countries not members Of
the league?
Suppose, for example, that the new
state of Poland should, contrary to her
covenant, attack -Slovakia. How
are the leagued nations to prevent the
Poles from trading with the Russians
and Germans on the East and West 7?
Apparently something here is wrong.
New-York tribune., 1919-03-20
Quotes Wilson'S Warming
OF Entangling Alliance

Il think it is hardly worth while to
uiscuss Inconsistencies. No one can
tell where the discussion may lead.
"On May 6, 1914, at the unveilins
OF the Barry monument in Washing
ton, President Wilson said:
mere are just as vital things
stirring now that concern the exist
ence Of the nation as were w stirrjne i9u
then. and every man who worthilv
STANDS IN this presence should exam
sne himself and see whether he has
tne fuii conception of what it means
that America should live her own life,
Washington saw it when he wrote his
farewell address. 1t was not merely
because of passing and transient cir
cumstances that Washington said N :
we should keep from entanplinr alI-
ances.' '''s "'''
pause moment to say that Wash
1ngton did not say. that we should keen
Ttear from entangling alliances in the
rareweii Address. He said that we
snouid keep clear of permanent alli-
anees, and that temporary alliances
wouia De sufncicnt to meet an emer-
gency~-as they were in the wear ins,
closed 'S"i JuS'
I merely mention this because the
phrase ,entangiing alliances which is
70 iamiiiar to the country, was the ut
.france of Thomas jefferson in his first
inaugural. He warned us from en-.
!angilng alliances. He, too, like Wash
,ngton, know, is considered antiouated Il
ny many people. I merely recall il for
me peneht of Jeffersonian Democrats
TX any still survive.
IN Washington, January 6. 1916.
addressing the Pan-American Con
grcss, President Wilson said:
Ine Monroe Doctrine was pro-
CLAIMED Dy the United States on her
Own autncrity.. 1t always has been
maintained, and always will be main
famed, upon her own responsibility ,
Il think I am not to blame far rv;sb.
ing 1t to be maintained now.
Il take first the form of the draft
without regard TO its substance. There
were four drafts presented to the corn
yptssIcn~-one by Italy, one by France.
one by the United States and one bv
Great Britain, The British draft was
the one selected. You can find in the
treaty, II You will compare it with the
plan put forth by General smuts in
January, that some paragraphs were
taken from his plan with but slight
changes. How nearly the draft pre-
scented conforYns to the British draft I
have no means Of knowing.
The drafts offered by the other
countries have never been discussed,
although we are living in the era of
cp@n covenants openly arrived at
nsps 70 tbs course Of few years that
moss crafts may appear In the volumes
psspalsnAd nv Eopgregs which contain
s. s. asecHns of opr foreign relations.
81 ~ s.ta afaIt H2yefse 70 ne, and ! think
- - eHy 9le Wh&Nhas examined IL with
se9as - 0asA hfsn x3xy la0&alx and
New-York tribune., 1919-03-20

to make. I ask those-the fathers and
the mothers, the sisters and wives and
the weethearts-whether they are
ready yet to guarantee the political in
dependence and territorial integrity of
every nation on earth against external
aggression. and to send the hope Of
their families, the hope of the nation,
the best of your youth, forth into the
world on that errand?"
A man in the audience said "Yes!"
A chorus of voices responded: mo!
No! MOI"
"If they are it will be done. If the
American people is not ready to do it
that article will have to go out of
the treaty. If that league with that
article had existed in the eighteenth
century. France could not have as
New-York tribune., 1919-03-20
Lieutenant Colonel Sherman
Made Chief of Air Training

WASHINGTON, March 49, Lieuten-
ant Colonel William C. Sherman, Of the
Engineer Corps, has been detailed as
chief of air service training, which will
include heavier-than- training at
both the ground schools and flying
fields under Brigadier General William
Mitchell, director of military aeronau..
tics. Colonel Sherman is fiier and
has been connected with the air SER
vice for several years.
The director will be assisted by four
executives. One will have charge OF
supply, engineering, production, pro-
curement and maintenance; another
will direct training and operations.
Another will gather and distribute in,
formation, and the fourth will control
administrative and executive worl&
New-York tribune., 1919-03-20
Number of Necessary
Votes Not Stipulated

"But I will speak Of one objection
which runs all through it-that there
are SO many places where it says that
the executive council, which is the real
seat of authority, shall recommend or
advise or propose measures, and it fails
to say by what vote they shall do it,
There are one or two places where it is
stated there shall be two-thirds vote;
another case where it shall be unani-
nous; but in most cases it is not
stated.
"Now. either there should be
clause in there saying where not
otherwise stated, the decision of the
executive council shall be by a ma
jority vote or else it ought to be ex-
pressed in every article where they are
called upon to make recommendation
or proposal or a decision Of any
kind.
Again let me quote from Mr.. Taft.
He says, speaking of ambiguous
phrases:
"'one of these, for instance, is in
respect to the executive council. Will
1T need a unanimous vote or will a
majority vote be sufficient where there
| ls no specification
That puts the point extremely we'll,
and | think there should be another
change. l offer that as second con-
structive criticism. now come to
what seems to me q very vital point
indeed, and that is the Monroe Doc
trlne. | shall not undertake to trace
the history of the doctrire or of it's
! development since Mr.. Monroe first
| declared 1T. But in its essence it rests
upon this proposition of separating
/ the Americas from Europe in all mat
ters political. 1t rests on the differen-
tiation Of the American hemisphere
from Europe and therefore l have
found 1T difficult to understand an ar
gument-tirst advanced with more con-
fidence, perhaps than it is now-that
we preserve the Monroe Doctrine by
extending it, The Monroe Doctrine
was the invisible line that we put
around us to exclude other nations
from meddling in American affairs. and
have never been able to get it
through my head how you can preserve
fence by taking it down
The Monroe Doctrine is the corall-
ary of Washington's foreign policy
declared in the farewell address. | am
not. going to base any argument upon
II, but it is mistake to consider the
policy laid down by Washington and
Monroe as ephemeral and necessarily
transient. AS Mr.. Wilson we'll said
Washington's doctrine was not tran
sient. 1t may be wrong; the time
may have come to discard it; but it
Is not ephemeral because it rests on
two permanent facts--human nature
and geography.
New-York tribune., 1919-03-20

sisted this country to win the revolu-
tion. If that league had existed in
1898 we could not have interfered
and rescued Cuba from the clutches
of Spain; we should have brought
war on with all the other nations of
the world.
perhaps the time has come to do
it. | only wish tonight to call your
ise to what it means, that it is moral
ly binding, that there is no escape
when a guarantee of that sort is in
voked. Think over it we'll; that is
all I ask; consider it. And remember
that we must make no promise, enter
into no agreement. that we are not
going to carry out in letter and in
spirit without restriction and without
deduction.'
New-York tribune., 1919-03-20
dge Lowell Debate Covenant of Proposed League of Nat

was England's bulwark and defence in
this last war. Do not underrate the
5000 miles of Atlantic. 1t was on that
that the Monroe Doctrine, the corol-
larry of Washington's policy, rested.
"Great system of morality and phi
losophy have been taught and preached
1000, $500 and 5000 years ago. They
may be wrong, but they are neither
transient nor ephemeral, because they
rest upon the eternal verities. And
when you come to discard a policy
like that it is we'll to realize what you
are abandoning and what it's import
ance is.
New-York tribune., 1919-03-20
Lodge, in Rebuftal, Warns Against
The Dangers of Inte7nationalisn,

In rebuttal, Senator Lodge said:
after President Lowell had finished
revising and amending the treaty |
think almost anyone could have
agreed with it. I will try to be plain
(crles of LouderO as we'll as loud.
l. SAID | was in favor of a union OF
nations IN any league, alliance or So
clety, or whatever name they chose
to call it, that would tend to sup
press and so far as possible secure
the world against war.
when l said any league, supposed
ut included this one. Perhaps it does
not. If this league is to be in such
form that it will really promote peace,
instead of breeding dissension and
quarrels, as | believe it will, if it will
be put in such shape that it will bring
no injury or injustice to the United
States, of course | will support it, be-
cause said I would support any
league that would do those things.
Foresees Pact Amended,
But Not i'm Paris
Il am not engaged in dealing with
titles or with imaginary leagues OF
leagues that are drawn by those who
have no authority to draw them. | am
engaged in dealing with the league that
mas been presented, whether complete
or incomplete, to the people of the
United States, and we were given to
understand that it was that league
as it stood.
II hope from my heart it will be
amended. l hope we shall have a
league in proper form, properly pre-
pared, free from doubts, excluding what
ought to be excluded. | hope it will be
done-done somewhere before the end
is reached. IN my belief, it will be
done somewhere, and not in Paris.
president Lowell asked me why I
dld not draw up amendments that |
thought necessary and send them to
Paris. | happen to be a Senator of
the United States. cannot speak
with the authority of the Senate. The
Senate, under the constitution, has
the right to advise and consent. If
the President of the Uuited States had
done what other Presidents have done;
If he laid that before the Senate
am only asking something that has
been done by almost all our Presidents
who have consulted the Senate about
entering into negotiations, about the
character of negotiations, about awards,
about pending negotiations.
1T was done, among other Presidents,
by Andrew Jackson, the old Indian
fighter, victor Of New Orleans, arbitrary
and imperious; it was done by General
Grant, the victor of the great Civil
War, who rendered the greatest SER
vices to peace that any one President
was ever privileged to do, when he car
ried through the Geneva convention and
saved a war with England. The Senate
was consulted prior to negotiations by
George Washington; it was consulted
prior to negotiations by Abraham Lin
coin, and in the path that George Wash
ington and Abraham Lincoln have
walked there is no man too great to
tread.
New-York tribune., 1919-03-20
Speaks Parable to Warn
America of Danger

"And we are going to hand it over
to a majority of other nations, to a
body where we have one vote. do
not say the time has not come to do
it, I do say think we'll about it. con.
slider it carefully.
May 1 venture a parable?
a man is called on an errand of
mercy. He springs to his feet and
rushes out into the darkness. He