New-York tribune., 1919-08-13
Senator Lodge Calls League ofNations
.DeformedE Experiment ON NoblePurpose

doubt a great power impossible of CO.
ercion can cast aside moral obliga-
tion if it sees fit and escape from the
performance of the duty which it prom
ises. The pathway of dishonor is al
ways open. |, for one, however, cam
not conceive Of voting for q clause of
which l disapprove because I know it
can be escaped in that way. Whatever
the United States agrees to by that
agreement she must abide.
81 return, then, to the first claus =
of Article K 1t is, l repeat. an individ-
ual obligation. IF China should rise up
and attack Japan in an effort to undo
the great wrong Of the cession Of the
control of Shantung to that power we
should be bound under the terms of
Article X to sustain Japan against
China and guarantee of that sort is
meyer invoked except when the ques-
ton has passed beyond the stage OF
negotiation and has become question
for the application of force. | do not
like the prospect. 1t shall not come
INTO existence by any vote mine.
Article XII Increases Danger
"Article XI carries this danger still
further, for it says:
Any war or threat of War, whether
Immediately affecting any of the mem
bers of the league or not. is hereby
declared matter of concern to the
whole league and the league shall take
any action that shall be deem I'd wise
and etfectual to safeguard the peace of
nations
"'Any war or threat of war'-that
mean, both external aggression and in
ternal sturbance. Let me take al
example. The following dispatch 40
peared recently in the newspapers:
'Hedjaz VS.. Bedouins-Tke forces
of Emir Adullah recently suffered a
and capturing Kurma, east tf Mecca.
lbn Savond is believed to be working in
harmony with the Wahabs. A squad
ron of the royal air force was ordered
recently to go to the assistance of King
Hussein'
"Hussein I take to be the Sultan oc
Hedjaz. He is being attacked by the
Bedouins, as they are known to US,
although | fancy the general knowledge
about the Wahabis and Ibn Savond and
Emir Adullah is slight and the names
mean but little to the American people.
Nevertheless, here is a case of a mem
ber of the league--for the King of the
Hedjaz is such member in good and
SS"iai oeaiiuius anu SlSHeu tHe treaty
by his representatives, Mr.. Ruetem
Haidar and Mr.. Abdul Havi Aouni
"Under Article XII, if King Hussein
appealed to US for aid and protection
against external aggression affecting
his Independence and the boundaries Of
his kingdom, we should be bound to
give that aid and protection and to
send American soldiers to Arabia. 1t
is not relevant to say that this is un-
hkely to occur, that Great Britain is
quite able to take care Of King Hus-
seln. The fact that we should not be
called upon does not alter the right
which the King of Hedjaz possesses to
demand the sending of American troops
to Arabia IN order to preserve his in
dependence against the assaults of the
Wahabis or Bedouins. | am unwilling
to give that right to King Hussein, and
this illustrates the point which is to
me the most Objectionable in the league
as it stands-the right of other powers
to call out American troops and Amer
lean ships to go to any part of the
world, an obligation we are bound to
fulfil under the terms of this treaty.
Gives Control of immigration
Let me now briefly point out the
insupcrable difficulty which | find in
Article XIV. 1t begins: If there should
arise between members of the league
any dispute likely to lead to q rupt-
ure Any dispute covers every
possible dispute. 1t therefore covers a
dispute over tariff duties and over inn
migration. Suppose We have dispute
with Japan or with some European
country as to immigration. Immigra
tion cannot escape the action of the
league by any claim of domestic juris-
dlctlon; it has too many international
aspects.
"Article TX says:
The council may, in any case un.
der this article, refer the dispute te
the assembly,
1--WE have our dispute as to immi-
grafton with Japan or with one of the
Balkan States, let us say Japan o,
the Balkan States ask that it be re-
ferred to the assembly and the imml-
grafton question between the Untec
States and Jugo-Slavia or Japan, as the
case may be, goes to the assembly
The representatives of the council, eX.
cept the delegates of the United States
and of Japan or Jugo- Slavia. must ali
vote UNANIMOUSLY upon it as | under
stand it, but majority of the entire
assembly, where the council will have
only seven votes, will decide Can an,
one say beforehand what the decision
VI tndl assembly Will be The QueS-
ton in one case may affect immigra-
ton from every country in Europe, al
though the dispute exists only for one
and in the other the whole matter OF
Asiatic immigration is involved. Is il
too fanciful to think that it might be
decided against us? There should be
no possibility Of other nations decid
ing who shall come into the United
States, or under what conditions they
shall enter.
"Article XXI says:
Nothing in this covenant shall be
deemed to affect the validity of inter
national engagements, such as treaties
of arbitration or regional understand
ings like the Monroe Doctrine for Sc
curing the maintenance of peace
Not in the First Draft
"Ths provision did not appear in
the first draft of the covenant. The