Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-02-18
Il World League
For Fair Dealing
ment, Magma Charta for the world,


4 ~ a Declaration of independence fol-
mankind-such is the constitution of the pro-
6 jected league of nations as drafted under the
leading hand of President Wilson and sub
mitted to the great council Of Powers at
Paris. Submitted we say, because not I'M
til there has been full and free discussion of
all points in. the proposed plan. will it be
adopted. 1t is laid before the world for study,
analysis, criticism and for such revision as
p wisdom and justice may advise. In other
times many an international agreement has
>. been put through hugger-mugger, with hard
ly thought to the opinion or even the basic
interests of the peoples concerned. Such was
: the diplomacy of Metternich, Tallyrand, a
Bismarck. But that is not the way OF Will
SOB, OF Lloyd George, of Clemenceau and o.
Orlando; it is not the way of the statesman
{ ship that has triumphed over Prussian in
trigue and that seeks with upright heart
and resolute will to make the world safe in
p deed for democracy and hospitable to man s
higher urgfpgs.
As this constitution itself proposes the ut
most candor and latitude of discussion in
future issues between nations, so are its own
provisions to be subject to the broadcast in
> quiry. The Senate OF the United States; in
deed the people of the United States, will
5 have an unrestricted say before the mOmen-
20 tous measure is, or can be, finally adopted
and the same is true, we assume, of Great
Britain, France, Italy and the others. Thus
when the plan at last is cOnsummated and
in operation it will represent the free will
and purpose of the nations behind it, the con-
z science and the heart of the peoples on whom
it will depend for support. If there be in
the present draft of the plan, or should there
creep into future draft, anything that
hazards the sovereignty of the United States
antagOn1Zes the convictions OF the Amerl-
can people, anything that runs counter to
our national interests and natiO44al spirit, 1t
will be purged out or the enterprise will lose
American support. If, for example, there
should be injected at the instance OF Japan,
or any other country, a clause requiring the
obliteration of racial distinctions in social
customs and in immi grafton laws, this OF
course would preclude our further part1clpa-
ton, and in fact would make the forming of
representative League impossible. Let
there be no anxiety on this score. Some VINO
have opposed the League, in advance of
knowing what it really would be, have pro-
fessed great concern lest we should be called
upon to stomach something offensive to our
traditions or to surrender some substantial
right But common sense itself should in
struct us that President Wilson and the other
American delegates at the Paris conference,
eager as they are to effect the establishment
of such League, would not countenance for
a moment provisions which would foredoom
it to rejection by American sentiment
The constitution as now proposed is ap-
parently free from any such objection. The
fact that it has the unanimous approval OF
the commissioners of the fourteen nations
that participated in it's Trainings not this
exceedingly significant? Besides the United
States, there are Great Britain, France, Italy
Japan, Belgium, Brazil, China, Czecho-Slova-
kia, Greece, Poland, Portugal, Rumania and
Serbia-each holding its particlar interests
as dearly hold ours, each as jealous OF
its sovereignty as we are of ours. Therefore
when we see the watchful representatives Of
81 these divers countries heartily uniting upon
an international program, we must conclude
that this program is eminently just ano
sound; for elsewise it could not satisfy the
Judgment and the aspirations Of these widely
scattered, adversely circumstanced and di
versely pinioned peoples. We must conclude
that they, having cast off pettiness of mind
and purpose, have got down to the fuda
mentaIs of fair dealing and have sought
with the earnestness of men who feel their
high calling, to design league that shall be
truly a League for Doing Right. One cannot
read the profoundly simple provisions of the
proposed Constitution without feeling an
atmosphere altogether different from that OF
1.-THE od-school diplomacy's concealments and
-@winking calculations. There is an at
smosphere of unclouded candor, of moral
zeal, of heartfelt interest in the millions OF
human destinies involved.
y 'It was obvious throughout our discus
--sions," said President Wilson in addressing
1.-THE conference, that although there were
subjects upon which there were individual
differences of judgment with regard to the
~method by which objects should be OBJ
stained there was practically at no point any
serious difference of opinion or motive as to
sthe objects which were seeking" Those
objects peace and neighborliness among
nations as among men; peace in order that
the true genius of humankind, the genius for