Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-09-07
W hat the Covenant
Really Holds

Omaha, Sept Ito the Editor
OF The Bee: l think it perfectly
safe to assert that there is only one
man in the United States who, in
his heart of hearts, does not feel and
believe that the United States would
be in better-far better-position to-
day had some one other than Mr..
| Wilson headed the American dele
cation at Paris
England, France, Japan and all
| the allied and associated powers had
delegates there to represent and
look after the interests of their re-
spective countries and these inter-
ests alone, and no other pretense
was made.
If proof Of this unquestioned fact
| is necessary, the treaty itself will
furnish it,
Mr.. Wilson did not pretend to rep
resent the United States alone. He
solemnly declared he represented
men everywhere" If proof of this
fact is necessary, the treaty itself
will furnish it,
Now suppose the United States
senate should ratify the treaty and
covenant without reservations.
No method is suggested or even
limited at as to how the representa-
tives of the United States are to be
appointed or elected. The term
during which they are to hold office
is not specified. 1t would therefore
be supposed to be for life. The
covenant is blank also as to the
compensation they are to receive
There is much talk about Mr..
Wilson being president of the
league. No such office as president
is mentioned or referred to in the
covenant. If a president is elected
or appointed, what his powers will
be is mere matter of conjecture,
as we'll as the compensation he will
receive.
The covenant provides how the
expenses of the league shall be dis
tributed among its members, but no
nation or government has anything
at all to say about what these ex-
penses shall be.
| doubt it, in the history of the
world, any such vague, international
document was ever presented, and
certainly none with such unlimited
powers placed in the hands of So
few men. AS compared with this
covenant, the Constitution of the
compared to foggy night.
| Never before. in the history of
the republic. was a delegation to
deal with internati onal affairs ever
appointed without the foreign rela-
tons committee of the United States
senate being represented; the rea-
son for this is too obvious for eX-
PLANTATION, and never before in the
whole history of the country was a
delegation appointed to deal with
international affairs when congress
was in session that was not submit
ted to the senate for confirmation
The reason for this is also too abvi-
Gus for explanation.
Here is an enCroachment of eX-
ecutive power and a disregard Of the
senate as part of the treaty making
power of the nation such as the
trainers of the constitution never
dreamed.
1t is therefore fair to presume
that Mr.. Wilson would assume the
authority to appoint the member
of the council and the assembly OF
the League of Nations without sub.
hitting the same to the senate fol
confirmation, the same as he did ir
appointing the peace commissions
with no limitation to term of office
or compensation, and with power tC
embroil us in every one of the 81
wars now going on in Europe over
territorial boundaries, and all fu.
ture wars. with no choice on our
part as to which side we will fight
on. Are American people ready tC
surrender the sovereignty of the ma.
ton or place it in the keeping OF
one man and thus make the world
safe for democracy" Thank Goo
for the United States senate. II
may keep us out of war and worse
than war. AMERICAN.