Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-03-18
UEINTREATY
SURE, SAYS TAFT
Myopic Statesmen, Here or
Abroad, Cannot Thwart
Will of Masses
ARGUES IT'S NECESSITY
Needed in Peace Document to
Enforce Terms-Postpone-
ment Threatens Loss
BY WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT
Copprioht, 1879, by Public Ledger CO.

Copvrioht, 1919, by Puohc beo0e o.
Opponents of the league are begin
ming to see how different the issue or the
league of nations and its exact meaning
will be when the treaty of peace emoodE-
ing the league of nations shall be sun
! mitted to the Senate for its ratihcatloh'
Hence the emphasis put upon expressions
OF opinions from Paris that the league
win not be included in the treaty.
What the Senators who Joined in the
round robin asked was that there should
be made in Paris and signed by ri! we
nations now conference and by the
defeated nations. a formal treaty per-
manently fixing the full terms OF peace
and that that treaty be brought mere
and submitted to the Senate lot ra'I-
fication.
Then the round robin proposes thaI
the conference, after due adjournmcn'' l.
.b.iI have n new session to consider the
question of a league of world nations,
into which all the other nations Sha"
4 come and agree If they can.
League Essential to Enforce Treaty
This plan is Objectionable, first. pc
b cause n league OF at least the AhIeS
n,ust be established in the treaty IN oruer
to secure its enforcement ana the pres
erystion of the peace that it estabiishes'
~ is obiectionabIe. in the second place,
hecause IL is entirely certain that an
acaf3ernic conference, such as the second
would be if peace were possible without
a league, would result in no agreement
at all.
The league Is made possible only be-
cause of it's present Indispensable Char-
acter. which defies tradition and pre'e-
dent
No one of the objectors to the league
nuyuhere has suggested. as a substitute g
~, ! league. any machinery which
S.r,d enforce tho peace. That part of
the problem never seems to address IT,
xelf TO them. The fact that We fous ht
This war to achieve peace that should
abide has been lost sight of.
Now what do most of these reports
from Paris mean. when properly inter-
preted? Evidently they mean that pc
cause a committee has unanimously le-
ported a league of nations. the work OIL
revising that in conference may be post
uoned until the questions that now press
ais to the terms of the peace TO which
Germany and her allies are to be sub
IS ies.ted shall be considered and settled.
Probably the difficulties these peace
Terms originally presented led to the
adoption by the plenary council Of It's
resolution making the league OF nations
the first subject for consideration 10
ppsfpone the revision OF the league OF
nafions now until the peace pact with
germany can be formulated is not TO
y,rov,de for two treaties. It is only
adontinp A. convenient sequence in the
( .,,hiect matter for consideration by the
3 conferences in making up the parts OF
one treaty. go,
a nreliminary pact may be made with
Germany, signed by the representatives
Of the Allies, including the President.
and by German representatives rAlhs III
advance the terms of the peace subse-
ouently to be embodied in the treaty. but
tbat will not be brought back to this
country to be ratified by the Senate. 1t
---fs not necessary that it should be. II
sxrill he merely on the part of the Presi-
dent the exercise of his power Of the
cornmander-in chief in state of war
TO make protocol OF peace as was made
in the Spanish War.
Comments on Pichon's Statements
n NAV be admitted. however, that
this is not an explanation of statements
that have emanated from NJ Tardieu and
M. Pichon. They have expressed doubt
Z. az TO whether the league of nations can
be Included in the treaty OF peace
France has been for a league for two
; rsasons-one for the broad purpose OF
making war improbable, the other for
the purely military reason of furnishing
an innnnediate and constant defense
against another attack by Germany.
M. Clemenceau favored a new entente,
balance of power in which such n
defense might be secured. He was not
originally for a league OF nations he
was led to support it by the demand
Of the people - the plain people Of
France The report of the league con.
stitution is not satisfactory to those
French statesmen who look TO the league
only as means of ,rlmediate defense
A permanent league army-an inter
national police force-was not provided
IN il, as they urged.
Hence the waning interest of some oI
them in the league, but the force behint
the league in France is the people i
AZ to be found in the National Assembly
No Premier is likely to stand against it
The same thing is true in Grea
Britain. 1t is the great body of tn,
people who demand it there-Mr Lloyc
George recognized that when he de
ciared for 1t in his last campaign.
The league, If It wins is TO win II
all the European co Intries as well a
4 IN this, because the people, seeing nor,
clearly than even Statesmen and poll
tioians know that now is the hour for il
In view of the unanimous resolution
of the plenary council and the attitud
Of the French, British and Italia,
peoples. We can be reasonably sure tha
Mr. Wilson does not reckon without hi
host when he says that the peace treat
will contain the league covenant
OF course, European statesmen VIII
do not favor a league will set grea
store by the round robin of our Senator
and will use that to weaken the positic
of the President in tine conference. A
the discussions go on, however. tn
round robin is apt to lose it's force in III
conference and in the presence of III
only man who can sign a treaty for tn
United States and can say for tha