The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1919-08-28
WILSON EXPLAINS
LEAGUE COVENANT
President Holds Round Table
Discussion With Senators
at the White House.
OBLIGATIONS PURELY MORAL
Executive Declares Treaty Fails to *
act Legal Promise to Send Sol
diers to Europe

hington.-President Wilson, in
terpreting the league Of nations cove
nant for the senate foreign relations
committee, declared 1t imposed no Ie-
gal obligations for the use OF Amer
lean military force in protecting the
territory or independence OF any other
nation
But he added that the covenant
might involve, in certain circum-
stances. an absolutely compelling
moral obligation" which might be even
stronger than a legal promise
Pressed for q more exact definition
by committee members who insisted
that the whole arrangement was
rope OF sand" he asserted that on
the contrary he considered II as plac-
ing the nations in an attitude Of com
radship and protection" which would
compel respect for the principles OF
justice and liberty
Meeting the committee in a round
table discussion in the East room OF
the White House. in contradiction 70
the precedents of more than a century
and with the whole nation listening
through the medium OF a relay OF
public stenOgraphers. the president
went into many OF the details OF the
peace negotiations and touched on ali
the holly debated questions which
have divided the senate in its cOnsid-
Grafton Of the peace treaty
Each State Free.
Article y Of the covenant, guaTan-
teeing the integrity Of the league mem
bers against aggression, he declared
would leave TO each nation complete
freedom Of choice as to the application
Of force" Even If the American rep
resentative on the council joined IN an
unanimous recommendation for mill
taFy action. the final decision for peace
or war must rest so far as concerned
the United States with congress, he
said
Whatever advice the council gave
under its authority 10 take such ae-
ton as deemed appropriate" must al
SO be deemed appropriate by the
! United States to be binding on this
/ government, he agreed, though in the
/ background would be such a potential
moral force that he doubted if the
nation would often decline TO act
The President revealed that Japan's
/ promise to return Shantung province
/ TO China was reduced TO written form
in the minutes of the peace confer
ence- He asserted he had every con
hdence" that the promise would be
carried out, and told the senators il
was the best that could be got out
| Of the negotiations, Japan having CIV
en- notice she would withdraw from
/ the conference if her demands were
/ refused.
The American delegates, he said
/ had tried to keep the nation free from
/ obligations in European affairs, $50 far
as IL was honorab3y possible to do So
but he asserted that it might be nee
! essary to keep some American troops
in the Rhine district under the treaty
for the next fifteen years
U. s. Own Moral Judge
He declared the nation would be its
own sole judge whether its obligations
had been fulfilled under the disputed
/ withdrawal clause of the league cove
nant; that purely domestic questions
were safe from the leagues interfer-
ence, and that the Monroe doctrine
was clearly preserved
The league. the President explained
was built on the plan OF General
SHUTS of South Africa
Nj Wilson revealed that he had
suggested the United States take no
part OF the German reparation, but
had asked that the conference reserve
the German Pacific Island OF zap on
suggestion that it was needed for
an American naval station
Some Of the senator's questions, the
President declined to answer on the
ground of international policy How
the American delegates voted on ia
pans proposal for a racial equality
clause in the league covenant he said
he could not disclose, "in the interest
Of international good GndeTstandg. -
and for the same reason he said ne
could not go into negotiations over
the French frontier or give the com
mittee a copy of the record OF ia
pans Shantung promise