Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1919-10-10
OUR VOTE in
PEACE LEAGUE
President Wilson Gives Detailed
Account of Effect of Great
Britain's Six Votes Compar-
ed With United States.

| President Wilson, on his recent tour
Of the west in behalf of the League
of Nations, made the following de.
tailed statement regarding Great Brit.
aims six votes in the league.
"But you say, we have heard thai
we might be at disadvantage in the
League of Nations Well, whoever
told you that either was deliberately
falsifying or he had not read the
covenant of the League of Nations
leave him the choice.
81 want to give you very simple
account of the organization of the
League of Nations and let you Judge
for yourselves. 1t is very simple
organization.
"The power of the League, or rath-
er the activities of the League, lie in
two bodies. The first is a council,
which consists of one representative
from each of the principal allied and
associated powers, that is to say, the
United States, Great Britain, France,
Italy, and Japan, along with four
other representatives of smaller pow
ers, chosen out of the general body of
the membership of the League.
THE council is the source of every
active policy of the League, and no
active policy of the League can be
adopted without unanimous vote of
the council. That is explicitly stated
in the covenant itself. Does it NOT
evidently follow that the League of
Nations can adopt no policy what
ever without the consent of the United
States? The affirmative vote of the
representatives of the United States
is necessary in every case.
"NOw Won have hoard of CIV, vote,
belonging to the British Empire.
Those six votes are not in the Coun-
ell, they are in the Assembly, and the
interesting thing is that the Assemb-
ly does not vote. must qualify that
statement little, but essentially it
is absolutely true. In every matter
in which the Assembly is given a
voice, and there are only four or five,
Its vote does not count unless con-
CURED in by the representatives of
all the nations represented on the
Council, so that there is no validity
to any vote also the representative
of the United States concur. That
one vote of the United States is as
big as the six votes of the British
Empire. am not jealous for advant-
age, my fellow-citizens, bu think
that is perfectly safe situation.
There is not any validity in n vote
either by the Council of the Assembly
in which we do not concur. So much
for the statement about the six
votes of the British Empire.
Talking Parts for Colonies.
"And look at it in another aspect.
The Assembly is the talking BODY,
The Assembly was created in order
that anybody that purposed anything
wrong should be subjected to the
awkard circumstances that everybody
could talk about it. This is the great
Assembly in which all the things that
are likely to disturb the peace of the
world OR the god understanding be-
tween nations are to be exposed to
the general view, and want to ask
you if you think it was unjust, un-
Just to the United States, that speak,
ing parts should be assigned to the
several portions of the British EN-
pire.
"Do you think it unjust that there
should be more spokesman in debate
for that fine, little, stout republic
down in the Pacific, New Zealand?
Do you think it was unjust that Aus
tralia should be allowed to stand up
and take part in the debate, Austria
liza from which we have learned some
OF the most useful progressive poll
cies of modern times, little nation
only five million in a great continent.
but counting for several times in it's
activities and in it's interest in lib
eral reform?
DO you think it unjust that that
little republic down in South Africa
whose gallant resistance is being sub
jected to any outside authority at all
we admired for so many months and
whose fortunes we followed with such
interest, should have speaking part :?
Great Britain obliged South Africa
to submit to her sovereignty, but she
Immediately after that felt that it
was convenient and right to hand the
whole self-government of that colony
over to the very men whom she hao
beaten, and among the representatives
of South Africa in Paris were two
of the most distinguished Generals
of the Boer Army, two Of the realest
men l ever met, two men that could
talk sober counsel and wise advice,
along with the best STATESMEN in
Europe. To exclude General Botha
and General Smutts from the right
to stand up in the Parliament Of the
world and say something concerning
the affairs of mankind wuold- be alb
surb.s
"And what about Canada? Isn't
Canada good neighbor? / ask you
isn't Canada more likely to afgree
with the United States than with
Great Britain? Canada has speak
ing part.
"And then for the first time in the
history of the world, that great voice
less multitude, that throng, hundreds
of millions strong, in India, has a
voice. And want to testify that some
of the wisest and most dignified
/ figures in the Peace Conference at
Paris came from India, men who
seemed to carry in their minds ar
older wisdom than the rest of us
had, whose traditions ran back into
SO many Of the unhappy fortunes OF
mankind that they seemed very usefu
| counsellors as to how some ray OF