Evening journal., 1919-09-09
PRESERVING AMERICANsM.

IN HE proposed reservations OF the Senate Committee on
Foreign Relations do much to Amercanlze the League
u Nations covenant.
Unless those reservations prevail in the United States
Senate both the league and the treaty must so by the
Noard
No combination Of circumstances be imagined
mich will insure the necessary two-hirds vote for rat
Hcaon OF the treaty without these four reservations
forming part and parcel Of the resolution Of adoption
md ratification cannot take eject until the said
lions and understandings have been accepted part OF
Ind condition Of said instrument Of ratification by at
least three Of the four principal allied and associated
bowers"
In proposing these reservations the committee had the
wpport Of Democratic Senator-Sheds Of Tennessee
sand it is confidently predicted that at least nfy-one
Senators will support them.
If this prediction not verified then considerably
more than thriy-two OF the ninetysix Senator'S will
fuse to adopt the treaty and league they stand
The first reservation demands that the United states
have "he unconditional right TO Withdraw from the
League Of Nations upon the notice provided in Article
L. which reads:
"Any member Of the league may, after two years
ce Of its intention to do, withdraw from the league
provided that all its international obligations and all It's
obligations under this covenant have been fulfilled at the
lime Of its withdrawal
This reservation on our part OF the unconditional
tight" precudes the possibility OF any member Of the
easue preventing withdrawal whenever we see nt
in the second reservation the United States will de-
cline to the obligations laid down in Article X,
respect and preserve against external aggression
he territorial integrity existing political independence
IF all members Of the league"
Article binds the United states TO supply men, money
md munitions 10 perpeuae for all time the staus quo
laid down by the Big Five" who drafted the treaty
This was President Wilson's m-Amercan article,
md Il perfectly illustrates what the historian Gbbon
iaid:
"The first care Of reformer is TO insure that there
viii be no future attempt at reformation
This second reservation also will absolve us from fu
are interference in controversies between other nations
,r from adoption Of economic for the protec
ion Of any other country AGAINST external aggression
r for the purpose coercng any other country for
he purpose Of Intervention in the internal conflicts or
her controversies which may arise in other country
hus relieving us from obligations demanded In Article
Is Of the covenant in member Of the league should
see Mt to disregard Articles 70, 70 and IS.
And going farther the second reservation condemns
lhe mandates provided for under Article p unless ac-
epted by Congress
In short this reservation provides that we mind our
own American business.
All domestic questions are reserved TO tho United
states by the third reservation and the right
20 decide what questions within domestic iuris
dction Thus questions relative TO arlffc immigration
.oaswlse traffic and any other question respecting in
erna policies from the hands OF the league
and the possibility Of packed tribunal
The fourth reservation absolutely safeguards the Mon
roe Doctrine and declines to submit that purely American
question to the league so the threat OF British states
men that the league would interpret becomes harmless
These four reservations will 1nd support from all true
Americans and opposition from all visionary interna
tonass. They record Of the greatest pieces Of
Americanism and craftsmanship the annals Of the Re
publican party