El Nuevo mexicano., 1919-03-20

tJedf DIT. ~
In addressing both houses OF the le
islature last Friday evening" Senate
Fall explained his attitude toward u
league Of nations by a series or crit
cisms. Some OF these have been ii
tefestihgly met by distinguished r.
publfcans in recent speeches, notabl
by ExsPresident Taft in HIS address
delivered in the Metropolitan oper
house In New York on March 4, whe
he spoke from the same platform wit
President Wilson 1t occurs to me tina
there may be those among your reaC
ers, who, like myself, may find it
help in clarifying the situation 10
themselves, to read these statement
as direct replies to Senator Falls as
s%ertions.
In quoting Senator Fall, ! am rely
ing on memory alone and can not pre-
tend to give his exact words thougl
lions Is correctly reported.
Senator Fall said: president vii
sons independent initiative In dictat
ing the form Of the peace treaty anc
SO combining II with the covenant o.
the league Of nations that one Is In
separable from the other, Is a direct
contravention Of the constitution OIL
the United States. Together with 81
other senator's have pledged myself
not to ratify this convention, II Il Il
presented to the senate in this dual
form.
William Howard TAFT replies:
THE authority under the CON
stitution which initiates the form
treaties are to take and in the
outset determines what subject
matter they shall include is the
president OF the United States.
Therefore If, to the president of
the United States and to those
acting with him with similar au-
thority for other nations, it shall
seem that no effective treaty OF
peace can be concluded except
with a league Of nations In sub 4
stance like that now proposed, as
a condition precedent to the prop
err operation and effectiveness of
the treaty it will be the duty Of the
president and his fellow delegates
to the conference to insert such a
covenant in the treaty as indis-
pensable to the peace sought.
IF, in accordance with that
sense Of duty, therefore, such a
covenant embodying the substan-
tial features CT the proposed n
shall be incorporated in a treaty
of peace, signed by the represen-
tatives of the powers and brought
back by the president and sub
mitted by him to the senate, the
question which viii address
itself to the proponents of this
senate resolution will be not
whether they would prefer a
league of nations after the treaty
Of peace, but whether they will
feel Justified in defeating or post
poning a treaty because it con-
tains a constitution of a league of
nations deemed by the president
necessary to the peace which all
seek.
The question will then arise be-
fore the senate whether there will
be in that body a majority of its
members (for the question will be
decided by a majority vote), who
win move to amend the treaty by
striking out the constitution Of the
league and returning the treaty of
peace to a further discussion at
Paris and a longer delay and a re-
newed conference.
IL venture to think that when
the question presents itself in that
way+when upon the majority Of /
the senate will be thrust the re-
sponsibiIity Of postponing peace
in order to separate the league of
nations from the peace treaty--the
question will have a somewhat
different aspect for the senators
who, it is announced, are now
willing to join in the resolution.
George w. Wickersham. attorney
eneral under president Taft. answer
le declaration that the league Of ma
ons should be kept separate from the
treaty. His speech is reflected
the following editorial i'll the New
iork Evening Post:
"Mr. Wickersham explained
that his own view had been origin
ally that Of the republican sena-
tors (of whom Senator Fall is
one), but now this is all past his
tory The peace conference has
by unanimous vote decided to
embody the league in the treaty.
Mr.. Wickersham was there at the
time, and he urges the folly of ex-
pecting the conference to reverse
itself. An irrevocable decision
has been made on the main Ques-
tion, and all that is left 10Y is to
bring all counsel and wisdom pos
sibIe to bear, SO that the league
of nations, the world-moyement
for which Mfr. Wickersham as
serts to be irresistible may be
set up In as safe and secure a
frame as can be devised"
Senator Fall asserted that by sub
to the covenant III fts present
irnh, we shall fehounce our sovereign
ghts as a nation.
In the first place. the covenant ad
its the possibility that Great Britain,
it'll her colonies Of Canada, Australia.
ew Zealand and South Africa, may
five votes in the executive
iuncil of the league. as against the
ngle vote allotted to the United
Mr.. Taft takes exception to this
atement;
objection Is made to the con
stitution Of the executive council,
with the suggestion that Great
Britain might have more delegates