Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-08-20

our citizens that we would have got
| ten into this war?
| The President: do think so.
| Senator McCumber: You think we
would have gotten in anyway?
The President: do.
Senator Brandegee: If may be al
lowed to resume, for 1 kept still all
4 morning
| Senator Fall: II the senator will
pardon me moment, I am going to
ask the President to excuse me, as
have an engagement.
The President: 1 am sorry, senator.
| that you are obliged to leave.
Senator Fall: l regret, sir, that
have an engagement with my wife.
who Is not in very good health.
Senator Brandegee: Now if ! may
| proceed without Interruption. which
breaks the continuity of my thought
| and uses a great deal, l will be
| through in a very few minutes. AS
| understand the President, his con-
struction of article 10 is that If the
council considers the question of ex-
ternal aggression upon member of
the league. we having signed this
| treaty with article 10 in it, in which
ternal aggression the territorial in
tegrity Of all members of the league,
can then say it is a moral question
into which the element of judgment
ment binding at the time. do not care
! to agree to the recommendation of
the council. If every member of the
| league is at liberty to take that view
under article 10. and declines to do
what the council recommends. and
| If it is known in advance that that
is the construction placed upon ar
! does not seem to me that-and that is
| merely my opinion-that the terror to
wrong -doers by what is hoped to be
united, concerted action of the MEM
bers of the league in the concentra-
ton of its powers to suppress the
wrong doors will have the effect that
| the President thinks it will. In other
| words, / do not think that Germany
would have refrained from war If
| she had known that article 10 was in
existence.
Quotes Article z.
Article 10 says:
| I'm case of any such aggression, or
| in case of any threat or danger of
any such aggression, the council shall
advise upon the means by which this
-; obligation is to be fulfilled"
! There is no doubt that that is an
| obligation in contract and I know
| of hut one way to perform an obi
perform, and that is to perform it.
do not think that it admits of any
| qualifications after you sign the
treaty I want to call attention also
gressfon which we undertake, If we
sign this treaty. to repel or guaran-
tee againstis not stated in the treaty
| at all to be an unwarranted agrees
sion. l wish to ask the President if
the league were in existence and Hun
| gary and Rumania were members OF
| 1t, and Rumania were in the position
| she. now is, having raided the terri
marched through its capital and oc-
cupied it. and the council, as it's duty
would be under the covenant. consid
cred what was best to be done and ad-
| vised us to. send Immediately to CO.
| operate with them 100000 men,
| whether We would be at liberty to
discuss whether we were morally
bound by article 10 of this covenant
and decline to send the men, and If we
| were, could we do it without risking
being called an international Stacker
by the other members of the league?
The President: Senator, since you
have made the case a concrete one l am
| e fraid 1 ought not to answer it because
| it involves a Judgment as between Ru-
mania and Hungary.
Senator. Brandegee: ] withdraw the
rames of the two countries and assume
! the circumstances.
Believes q. S. Would Respond.
The President: Let me say that /
take it for granted that in practically
every case the United States would re-
sPond; but that does not seem to be the
question. quite agree with You that a
moral obligation is to be fulfilled. and |
am confident that our nation will fulfill
| 1t, but that does not remove from each
| individual case the element Of juGgne mt
which we are free to exercise in two
stages: We are first free to exercise it
In the vote of our representative on the
council, who will. Of course. act under
instructions from the home government;
and, IN The second place. we are to ex-
ercise it when the president. acting
upon the action of the council makes
his recommendation to Congress. Then
Congress is to exercise it's judgment as
to whether the instructions of the ex-
ecutive to our member OF the council
were well founded or not, and whether
this is a case of distinct moral obliga-
ton.
Senator Brandegee: Now suppose
that each member of the council, as you
say, acting under instructions from its
home government, including our repre-
sentative on the council. should think,
for instance, that Rumania was entirely
right in some invasion of Hungary and
rublic sentiment was that way, but that
our government instructed our repre-
sentative to vote with the foreign men,
beers of the council to support Hungary
suppose the public sentiment OF the
ether members and of the people Of this
country were in favor Of Rumania. what
sort of a position would we be in to full
ELL our guaranty!
Goes AAeld to Answer.
The President: In order to answer
that question must go little bit
afield. IN the first place understand
that article to mean that no nation is
at liberty to invade the territorial in
tegrity of another. That does not
mean to invade for purposes of war
fare. but to impair the territorial in
teerity of another nation. Its terri
torial integrity is not destroyed by
armed Intervention; it is destroyed by
retention, by taking territory away
from it; that impairs its territorial
integrity. I understand the covenant
to mean that that is in no case per-
MISSILE by the action Of single ma
ton against another; that there is
only ono permissible method and that
is, If territorial arrangements are I'M
satisfactory that they should be
brought. to the attention of the world
through the league and that then the
league should exercise such rights as
it may be able to exercise for re-
adjustment of boundaries. 1 believe
that territorial aggression. in the
, sense of territorial capture. is. by the
wording of the act, made illegitimate.