Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1919-06-25

tween nations by safeguarding action
of the league, by arbitration, by me
diation and recommendation Of settle
ment, and by enforcement of cove
nants restraining war until three
months after such machinery for peace
full settlement has failed. By articles
XVI AMI XVII a breach Of such cove
nants is to be penahzed by an immedi-
ate and universal boycott Of the cove
nant breaking nation and then by such
military expeditions as the members
clf the league shall determine neees-
Sary on the recommendation of the
council Unless therefore, the external
aggression in violation of article X oc-
ours three months after attempts at
peaceful settlement under articles XII
I to XIV have failed so that the cove
: nants of those articles are not broken
by it, the penalizing provisions of ar
tieles XVI and XVII would apply to
the aggression, whether for the pur-
pose forbidden in article X or not. In
dther words, article X only increases
the obligations of the members of the
league beyond those o' article XVI in
respect of wars which do not violate
the covenants cf articles XII, XIII or
XIV Article X becomes practically inn
portant. therefore, only aftcl the pur-
pose of the war has been clearly dis
closed. A war only for punitive pur.
poses without taking territory or over
throwing a government would not vio-
late article X.
We have seen this exemplified in our
construction of our own Monroe doe
trine. The Monroe doctrine, as origin
ally declared by Monroe, was article
X limited TO the aggression of non Am
erican nations against countries of the
Western Hemisphere. When Spain at.
tackled Chill during Mr. Seward 5 in
cumbency as secretary of state and
Chill called on the United States to de.
fend her, Mr.. Seward replied that our
policy did not look to our defending
an American state against any puni.
tive war by non-Ameriean power, but
only against one intended TO take ter.
ritory or to destroy independence. Mr..
Roosevelt laid down the same limita-
tion Of the Doctrine in the Venezuela
case as to wars begun merely to col.
eet financial obligations when thew
did not speak appropriation of terri
tory or deprivation Of independence.
Modified by Other Articles
The intervention Of the league under
article X is, therefore, likely to be in
voked only in ease whore the victor in
q war illegal" under articles KIT,
NH and XIV, seeks to impose terms
on its enemy contrary TO the undertake
ing Of Article X. In all other cases.
resort to article X win be unnecessary
because action under it will have been
anticipated under other articles. Ar
ticle X, therefore, enlarges the scope
of the obligations Of the league much
less than has been generally assumed.
Second, should a violation of article
\ occur, and the council advise a plan
Tor fulfilling its obligation by the mem
bers of the league, this plan will have
to be unanimously agreed upon by the
council We have constantly one ropre.
sentative in the council. who must thus
join in advising the plan. We can reas-
onably assume therefore, that the plan
recommepded viii not involve Us I'm
military expeditions unreasonably re.
mote or inconvenient, and that it will
advise our action in that part Of the
world whore we can most promptly
furnish aid and in respect to wars in