The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1919-09-13
TONE HAS RING
OF FINALITY
Will Reopen Peace G enCe
if Reservations : fly
Treaty Mater
CONGRESS Still ) ZEE TO
MAKE WAR Z J FACE.
Would Have tt I 1T Japan,
France, Britain to Change
Shantung Clause.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
En- Route With President Wilson
to Tacoma, Wash, Sept. 13.-Presi-
cent Wilson has come to the climax
of his speechm aking tour.
He has stated with tone border
ns on finality that he shall deem il
his duty to reopen the peace confer
enoe if the senate insists on qualify
ing the terms Of the peace treaty with
the conditions or reservations.
He told his Idaho audiences that
reservations put into the ratifyine
resolution itself altered the treaty to
such an extent that the consent Of all
the powers who signed the pact at
par's, including Germany, would
have to be secured before the condi-
tons put into the document by the
United States senate could be con-
sdered as a part Of the treaty itself.
The president put himself on rec
ord as not objetcing to any reserva-
tions or interpretations which were
embodied in separate resolutions by
congress and which he said consti =
tuted notice to all powers of the
way Americas vote in the council of
the league of nations would be exer-
cised hereafter. In view of the fact
that without the vote of the United
states no decision on the part of the
leagues council can be effective, as
a unanimous vote is required unless
America is party to the dispute.
Resolution Enough.
The president believes a separate
resolution could be adopted by con-
gress amounting to a permanent in
struc:ion to Americas delegates at
the peace conference. This is a new
way of looking at the effectiveness of
resolutions that are not made a part
OF the ratifying resolution itself.
Don't Alter Body.
The president argues against reso-
lutions that alter the body of the
treaty, on the ground that the SUBJ
stance of the suggested reservations
except those that mee%to reject the
whole treaty are co<ed in the Ian
guage of the pact, =.
Perhaps tf<~ Speech a t Helena,
Mont, was the best summary Mr..
Wilson has yet given of his reasons
for opposing reservations. In effect
he says this: First, it is unnecessary
to say that the United States shall
be the sole judge of whether or not
she has fulfilled her international OBJ
ligations without withdrawing from
the league on two-year notice, be-
cause the covenant of the league does
not give the council of the league or
any other nations rights to say when
any nation has fulfilled its obliga-
tions. 1t leaves that to the conscience
of each nation and the opinion of the
world.
Congress Still Free.
Second, the congress Of the United
States is just as free under Article
y. to refuse to declare war as it al
ways has been. In any emergency,
he says, the most the council can do
is to advise what steps shall be
| taken without a unanimous agree
ment, and Americas representative,
under strict instructions from the
merican people could not vote to
advise war unless the congress of the
United States had so resolved.
In other words, Americas represen-
tative could be prevented by law OF
congress from voting to advise war un-
til the will of congress had been man.
| lfested by joint resolution or otherwise
| If the United States is a party to the
| dispute, says Mr. Wilson, it is no bet
| ter off than under the old system fol-
being excluded from voting in the coun.
! Gil.
1t can, after a nine months period
| of discussion, decide or declare wal
! or not to secure respect for invaded
! rights. Already the United States Is
| bound by the Bryan treaties to waii
! twelve months in disputes it may have
| with any of thirty principal nations o.
/ the globe.
Monroe Doctrine Recognized.
| Third, as for the Monroe doctrine, the
/ president says the whole world nov
! recognizes the doctrine, and that tn,
( covenant specially says nothing in tht
! treaty or league shall be considered a!
invalidating such regional understand
ings like the Monroe doctrine" Inas,
much as America alone knows wha
/ the Monroe doctrine is, he thinks the
! United States alone can interpret it, HI
| thinks it is sufficiently covered in the
| treaty already.
| Fourth-Wth respect 10 mentioning
| domestic questions like the tariff anC
! immigration, the president points ou
! that the covenant expressly prohibit!
| the council from interfering in domes
! tic questions or making reports on do
mestic disputes. To enumerate th'
J tariff and immigration is in his opinion
/ making a list of special questions, anC
! that is dangerous, because some do.
mestic questions might be omitted anC
! America would not want to give tn,
| impression that domestic questions, ex
| cept the tariff and immigration. nigh
| possibly be considered within the jur
/ isdiCtion of the council. The men
| tiOn of one thing" remarks the presi
! dent. lis often the exclusion of othe
things
Shantung Chance impossible.
Fifth-The presidents explanation o
the Shantung provision is that to tak'
/ Shantung from Japan, who now is il
/ possession of it, means war with Japal
| and France and Great Britain. The lat
! ter two countries are bound in solemn
! treaty entered into before the Pari
| conference took place, whereby they ar
| pledged to give Japan the rights en-
| joyed by Germany. Mr. Wilson say
the remedy lies in Article Y. whicl
| safeguards the territorial integrity o
| China and makes it possible to exam
| inc some of the other rights and pos
/ sessions enjoyed by European power
| in China. and give them back to Chin
! some day. He thinks the league give
| China A new forum before which sh
/ can bring any case Of threatened op
| preston or danger While the presiden
! contends for an unqualified adoption o
/ the treaty on the above grounds, he
| cause, as he says. the treaty alread,
| covers many OF the objections to it
| suggested in the senate. it is apparen
| that his rCat fear is not that the othe