New-York tribune., 1919-09-15
Reservation Two

lLS CCNcild!iC Ol4 tllC4L IiSlitS SSiiNhoii
hide behind vague charges. The inten-
tons of the advocates of the reserva-
tons are bad, it is usually said. They
want to kill, or at least mutiate, the
covenant. so the qualifications which
they suggest must he vicious.
Occasionally there is an approach to
defniteness on the part of those who see
q real menace to the league in the Senate
committees reservations, and dc not con-
demn them, as the President does, merely
because they are surpusage and might
involve the inconvenience Of asking the
other signatories to accept them. For
instance, Tie Globe said the other day
Of Reservation Two:
"All of the amendments and perhaps
three of the reservations proposed in the
majority report legitimate, even if mis-
taken, attempts to alter or interpret the
treaty. But the second reservation-that
dealing with Article X-is dishonest be-
cause it is an attempt to destroy the
league masqueradng attempt to in
terpret it."
How would the reservation destroy the
league? The Globe is willing to go so
far toward definiteness as to suggest
that it would remove "the moral obliga-
tion lacking which there can be no league
worth the name" The alusion here is
evidently to the ''moral obligaton' of
Congress to accept a recommendation of
the league council regarding the means
necessary to preserve against external
aggression the territorial integrity and
political independence of members of the
league.
What is the value of this alleged
moral obligation' as established by the
present text of the covenant? And in
what respect does Reservation Two
vitiate it?
These questions were gone into thor
oughly in the conference on August 10
between the President and the members
e the Senate Committee on Foreign Re.
|ations. Answering queries as to the
force of a recommendation from the
council under Article X, the President
first said: 1--WE should have complete
freedom of choice as to the application
Of force" Senator Knox then asked:
Suppose that it is perfectly obvious and
accepted that there is an external aggres-
sion against some power, and suppose it
is perfectly obvious and accepted that 1t
cannot be repealed except by force of arms
Would we be under any legal obligation to
participated? p?
Tothis the President answered.:
''No sir; but we would be under an ab-
soiutely compelling moral obligation"
A little later this colloquy occurred:
SENATOR MCUMBER: Mr. President.
there 4 number Of Senators who SIM
cercly believe that under the construction
OF Article y, taken in connection with
other clauses and other articles in the
treaty, the council can suggest what we
should do-of course, while they admit the
council can only advise and suggest that
II IS nevertheless our moral duty to i'm
mediately obey the council, without excr
eising our own Judgment as to whether
we shall 20 TO war or otherwise Now the
puhAc, the American people, a great nro-
portion OF them, have the same conviction
WHICH Is contrary to your view. Do Won
"oe 'h1hK' therefore, that 1T would be well
to have reservation inserted in onr
resolution that shall so construe that sec
ton as to make it clear not ONLY to tha
American people but to the world that
congress may use its own Judgment as -
what 1t VIII do, and that its failure to
'oiiow the Judgment of the council will not
be cons4dered breach Of the agreemcnto
HE PRESIDENT: We differ. Senator
only "s to the form of action. | think il
would be very serious practical mistala
to put 1t IN the resolution of ratification
p"' 40 "oPc fhdt we are at liberty con-
fe"poroneously toith our acceptance Of tho
'redtV to interpret or noral oblioation
Under that article"
Stlll later, answering a question from
Senator Harding somewhat similar Is
Senator Anoxs, the President said: "We
would be our own judges as to whether
we were obliged in those circumstances
to act in that way or not"
The President comedies the right of
Congress to interpret the moral obhga-
tion resting on the United States to ac-
cept recommendations Of the council.
Rcserva:'en Two IL an explicit interpre-