The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1919-08-19
President Sees No "Reasonable
Objection" to interpretations With
u. S. Ratification of Peace Treaty


it's obligations under the cove
nant." It was recognized that the
question must be left to be re-
solved by the conscience of the
nation proposing to withdraw;
and I must say that II did not
seem to me worth while to pro-
pose that the article be made
moro explicit because knew the
United States would never itself
propose to withdraw from the
league IL it's conscience was not
entirely clear as to the fulfilment
of all It's international obliga-
tions. 1t has never failed to full
I'll them and never will.
Article x the Backbone.
Article x is in no respect Of
doubtful meaning when read In
the light of the covenant as a
whole. The council of the league
can only advise upon the means
by which the obligations of that
great article are to be given effect
to. Unless the United States is
a party to the policy or action In
question, her own affirmative
before any advice can be given.
for a unanimous vote Of the coun-
Gil is required. II she is a party,
the trouble Is hers anyhow. And
the unanimous vote of the coun-
ell Is only advice in any case.
Each government Is free to re-
Ject 1t IL 1t pleases. Nothing
could have been made more clear
to the conference than the right
Of our congress under our con-
stitution to exercise it's indepen-
dent Judgment in all matters of
peace and war. No attempt was
made to question or limit that
right. The United States will,
indeed, undertake under Article
X to respect and preserve as
against external aggression the
territorial integrity and existing
political Independence of all
members of the league" and that
engagement constitutes a very
grave and solemn moral obliga-
ton. But II is a moral, not
legal obligation, and leaves our
congress absolutely free to put its
own Interpretation upon II IN all
cases that call for action. It is
binding upon the conscience only,
not in law.
Article K seems to me to con-
stitute the very backbone OF tho
whole covenant. Without II the
league would be hardly more
than an influential debating So
eiety. -.
Provided They Are Separate.
It has several times been sug-
gested, In public and in private
conference, that interpretations
of the sense in which the United
States accepts the engagements
of the covenant should be en-
bodied In the instrument of
= ihcation. There can be no rsa-
Fsonable objection to such inter-
pretations accompanying the act
Of ratification provided they do
not form part of the formal
ratification itself. Most of the
interpretations which have been
suggested to me embody what
seems to me the plain meaning of
the instrument itself. But IL
such interpretations should con-
stitute part of the formal res
olution of ratification, long de-
lays would be the inevitable con-
sequence, inasmuch as all the
many governments concerned
would have to accept, in effect,
the language of the senate MS the
language of the treaty before
ratification would be complete,
The assent of the German assem-
bly, at Weimar would have to be
obtained, among the rest, and I
must frankly say that | could
only with the greatest reluctance
approach that assembly for per-
understood 1t and those who
framed 1t quite certainly under
stood It. If the United States
were to qualify the document in
any way, moreover, l am conf
dent from what l know of the
many conferences and debates
which accompanied the formula
tion of the treaty that our ex-
ample would Immediately be fol-
lowed in many quarters, in some
instances with very serious res
ervations, and that the meaning
and operative force of the treaty
would presently be clouded from
one end of its clauses to the
other.
Issues Hang on Senate coneIu.
sions.
Pardon me. Mr.. Chairman, III
have been entirely unreserved
and plain spoken in speaking of
the great matters we all have so
much at heart. II excuse is
needed, I trust that the critical
of affairs may serve as
my justification. The issues that
manifestly hang upon the con-
illusions of the senate with re-
gard to peace and upon the time
of its action are so grave and so
clearly insusceptible of being
thrust aside or postponed that
have felt it necessary in the pub
lie interest to make this urgent
plea and to make it as simply
and unreservedly as possible.