New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-02-21
Aloofness Impossible


In a Shadow Lawn address delivered
before his second election President
Wilson said the days of American aloof
ness were past-that to preserve our
own peace we must join in maintaining
the general peace. This repeated what
President Mckinley said following the
Spanish war and what President Roosc-
welt SAID on many occasions.
The American people, with practical
unanimity, acquiesced in the doctrine
that new world conditions forbade
American isolation. The President has
often acted on his own initiative and
shown something akin to contempt for
public opinion and for Congress, but he
may claim he has a mandate to labor
Tor league to enforce peace
A corollary of the mandate is that
constitutional limitations may not be
successfully Piled as forbidding any
placing of part of the joint burden on
us. The issue before the country is thus
political and practical rather than judi
clal. The Supreme Court, which upheld
the validity of the Porto Rican legisa-
ton, will scarcely invalidate duly rati-
fled league of peace treaty.
The precedents are against the theory
that treaty which possibly commits us
to making war is in derogation of the
exclusive power of Congress to declare
war. Our first international act was to
sign with France a treaty of alliance
under which we used the word forever"
in guaranteeing to France her Caribbean
possessions. Benjamin Franklin, who
secured the alliance, did not boggle
over the pledge, nor did Washington in
the dark days of Valley Forge.
When the present Constitution was
adopted the new government assumed
the obligations of the one it superseded
and no one contended that the French
treaty was out of harmony with the Con-
stltutlon. The treaty of 184S with
Colombia contained guarantees con-
corning the peace of Panama which
made action by us automatic if the 18TH
mus were invaded. Repeatedly the re-
sponslbllities imposed by this treaty
have been met-the last time by Presi-
dent Roosevelt in 1904 when he forbade
lighting between Colombians and Pana-
manians. Finally, who quarrels with
the Monroe Doctrine because it practi-
cally pledges us to fight if our southern
neighbors are invaded?
Nor does the constitutional argument
yvif fk1 IL
which is to control Congress after
March 4. The proud boast of this partv
is that it has believed in a Nation, not in
nation. 1t has held that the United
States, functioning through its dele
gated agents, could do the things other
nations could rightfully do. It's concept
of national power has not been that Of
a cripple, and constantly has it been at
tackled because it stood with Waching
ton, Hamilton and Marshall rather than
with jefferson, Calhoun and Tanev.
How, then, is the peace league draft
objectionable? On the groand that it
does not do what it pretends to do; that
1t reads like another Hague futility:
that there IS little guaranteed peace in
1t; that it nebulously imposes underlined
Obligations; that it devotes most of its
articles to discussing possible ouarrels
among the peace maintainers rather
than providing with clearness what's to
be done if wild beasts break loose: that
1t is unreal and illusory because not bot
toned on the basic fact that q perrna-
nent peace system must rest on the
equivalent of coalition among the five
nations which possess to-day the worlds
major power.
These are matters concerning which
there is need of education and leader
shlp-to the end of either amending the
draft so as to make it worth while or
refusing to be parties to possible huge
deceit whose mere existence will be in
the way of real peace arrangements.
In the debate Tuesday Senator Bran
degee properly asked whether the
United States would be obligated, in
view of the guarantee of all existing
political boundaries, to assist Great
Britain in whipping Ireland into sub
mission should an insurrection occur
Who can answer this question or scores
of similar ones? This country NAV be
assumed to be willing to bear RESPONSE
bllitles, but it wants to know what they
are and what corresponding benefits
they VIII bring to us and to the world
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