The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-06-11
CHARGE AGAINST
LEAGUE WITHOUT
SUPPORT--WALSH
Trumped up Objections Made
to Covenant, Declares Mon
tana Senator.
tBy Associated Press,


WASHINGTON. June 11-Asserting
that opponents OF the league of ma
lions have trumped up many unsup-
portable objections to play upon pop
ular constituencies. Senator Walsh,
Democrat of Montana, defended the
league covenant in the senate today
against charges that II subverts the
American constitution.
Answering Senators Lodge, Repub-
Hcan of Massachusetts, Knox, Repub-
Hcan Of Pennsylvania, and others who
have urged constitutional objections.
the Montana senator declared their
arguments founded on theories long
since disproved He quoted many
presidents to support his contention
that the covenant neither sets aside
any constitutional prerogative nor as
sumes any new power in treaty max
ing.
Charges that the league would be
a super state" he declared to be a
mere defamation" since the organ
ism in most of the provisions COM
planned of could only advise" or rec
ommend." The celebrated Article
Ten, he continued, certainly would
bind the U. S. to make war In certain
instances, but added that the same
obligation had been assumed by vari-
Gus treaties made by this government
in the past.
Quotes Panama Treaty.
The people, said Mr.. Walsh.
have an intense pride in and just
reverence for their national constitu-
ton. II a wellfounded apprehension
that any policy runs counter to the
commands of the organic law can be
excited. Il serves often as we'll as
complete demonstration to accom-
plish its rejection. 1t results that
scarcely a measure of great national
importance comes before either
branch of congress that is not assail-
ed R,eing unconstitutional
Il = address delivered in the SEN
ate 81 Dec. IS. last by the junior
senator's from Pennsylvania. Senator
Knox a question was raised by the
following inquiry and comment.
How could the president. by ne
gotiating treaty, and the senate by
conserving to its ratification. bind
this country to declare war? A dec
laration of war Is, under the constitu.
tinn. prerogative of the congress.
Tho covenant does undoubtedly,
should the treaty be signed, obligate
this country to make war. But we
A-dNO EOI ACoAIotC0 AC1 CIOkOiO " dS-
sumo like obligation We entered
irto a treaty with the republic of
Panama, the first article of which is
as follows:
Article 1. The U. S. guarantees
and will maintain the independence of
the republic of France
Doctrine Is Cited.
NO one can doubt the significance
ct that undertaking. We go to war
with any country that attempts to re.
duce the republic through whose con.
cessions we built the Panama Canal
That treaty was entered into in the
year 1904, the late Theodore Roose.
Teit being president of the q. S. and
Philerdar G. Knox, now senator
from the state of Pennsylvania. his
attorney general and official legal ad.
wiser
Among those voting to ratify IL
were>ehe following, still members OF
the senate: Senators Lodge, McCum
ber Wilson. Penrose, Simmons
Smoot and Warren.
That is the Monroe doctrine but a
voluntary obligation assumed by the
United States to respect and pre-
serve as against external aggression
(external in this case. signifyine
trans-oceanic) the republics of South
and Central America %
Senator Walsh quoted a speech By
Theodore Roosevelt accepting the
Nobel prize at Christiania in 1910 a!
follows:
1t would be a master stroke 1
those great powers honestly bent OF
peace would form a league of peace
not only to keep the peace anon,
themselves. but to prevent. by force {
necessary, its being broken by others
The supreme difficulty in connection
with developing he peace work of Tn,
Hague arises from the lack of an,
executive power. of any police power
to enforce the DEGREES of the courts