The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1919-08-19

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Gil shall so report, and shall make nc
recommendation as to its settlement,
The United States was by no means the
only government interested in the ex.
plicit adoption of this provision, and
there is no doubt in the mind of any
authoritative student of international
law that such matters as immigration
tariffs and naturalization are incontesti.
bly, domestic questions with which nc
international body could deal without
express authority to do so. No enumera.
tion of domestic questions was under
taken because to undertake it even by
sample, would have involved the dan.
geEof seeming to exclude those not men.
tiSHed.
''The right Of any sovereign state to
withdraw had been taken for granted
but no objection was made to making il
explicit. Indeed, so soon as the view:
expressed at the White House conference
were laid before the commission it was
at once conceded that IT was best not
to leave the answer to so important o
question to inference. No proposal was
made to set up any tribunal to pass
judgment upon the question whether
withdrawing nation had in fact full
filed all its international obligations
and all its obligations under the cove
nant.' 1t was recognized that that ques.
tion must be left to be resolved by the
conscience Of the nation proposing ia
withdraw; and must say that il did not
seem to me worth while to propose that
the article be made more explicit be.
cause ! knew that the United States
would never itself propose to withdraw
from the league if its conscience was
not entirely clear as to the fulfillment
of all its international obligations. II
has never failed to fulfill them and new
er will.
Article 10 Discussed.
article 10 is in no respect of doubt.
full meaning when read in the light OF
the covenant as a whole The council
of the league can only advise upon the
means by which the obligations of that
great article are to be given effect to
Unless the United States is party to
the question, her own affirmative vote in
the council is necessary before any al.
vice can be given, for unanimous vote
of the council is required If she is a
party, the trouble is here anyhow. And
the unanimous vote of the council Is
only advice in any case. Each govern
ment is free to reject 1t If il pleases.
Nothing could have been made more
clear to the conference than the right OF
Congress under our constitution to exer.
else its Independent judgment in all mat
ters of peace and war No attempt was
made to question or limit that power.
The United States will, indeed, under
take under article 10 to respect and pre-
serve as against external aggression the
territorial integrity and existing politi-
cal independence of all members of the
league, and that engagement consti.
tutes very grave and solemn moral
obligation, But it is a moral, not le-
gal obligation, and leaves our Congress
absolutely free TO put its own interpre-
tation upon it in all cases that call for
action. 1t is binding in conscience only,
not in law.
Article 10 seems TO me to constitute
the very backbone Of the whole covenant.
Without it the league would be hardly
more than an influential debating So
ciety.
interpretations.
II has several times been suggested in
public debate and in private conference,
that interpretations OF the sense in which
the United States accepts the engage.
ments Of the covenant should be embod-
led in the instrument of ratification.
There can be no reasonable objec-
tion to such interpretations accompany
ing the act of ratification provided they
do not form a part Of the formal rati-
foation itself Most of the interpreta-
tions which have been suggested TO me
embody what seems to me the plain
meaning Of the instrument itself. But if
such interpretations should constitute
a part of the formal resolution of rati.
fication long delays would be the inevita-
Bile consequence, inasmuch as all the
many governments Concerned would have
to accept in effect, the language of the
Senate as the language of the treaty
before ratification would be completed
"The assent of the German assembly
at Weimar would have to be obtained
among the rest, and l must frankly say
that I could only with the greatest re-
luctance approach that assembly for per.
mission to read the treaty as we under.
stand it and as those who framed il
quite certainly understood it. If the
United States were TO qualify the doc
ument in any way, moreover, ] am con
fident from what / know of the many
cka oh
panied the formulation of the treaty that
our example would be Immediately fol-
lowed in many quarters, in some in
stances with very serious reservations
and that the meaning and operative
force of the treaty would presently be
clouded from one end of its clauses to
the other.
Pardon me, Mr. Chairman, if I have
been entirely unreserved and plain spok-
en- in speaking of the great matters we
all have so much at heart If excuse is
needed, | trust that the critical situa-
tion of affairs may serve as my justi-
fication. The issues that manifestly hang
upon the conclusions of the Senate with
regard to peace and upon the time Of
its action are so grave and so clearly in
susceptible of being thrust on one side OF
postponed that / have felt it necessary
in the public interest to make this ur-
gent plea, and to make it as simply and
as unreservedly as possible"
Lodge Interrogated Wilson.
After the president had delivered his
statement Senator Lodge said:
"Mr President, so far as l am person.
ally eoncerned-and think l represent
perhaps the majority of the committee
in that respective have no thought OF
entering upon arguments as to nterpre.
tations or points of that character; but