The sun., 1919-08-20

administer and sustain 1t. With
out determinate markets our pro-
duction cannot proceed with in
telligence or confidence. There
can be no sterilization of wages
because there can be no settled
condition Of employment. There
can be no easy or normal indus
trial credits because there can be
no confident or permanent revival
of business.
But / will not weary you with
obvious examples.
1 will only venture to repeat
that every element of normal life
among us depends upon and
awaits the ratification of the
treaty of peace; and also that we
cannot afford to lose a single
summers day by not doing all that
we can to mitigate the winters
sufferings, which, unless we find
means to prevent it, may prove
disastrous to a large portion of
the world, and may, at its werst,
bring upon Europe conditions
even more terrible than those
wrought Dy the war itself.
Defends the Covenant.
Nothing, 1 am led to believe,
stands in the way of the ratification
Of the treaty except certain doubts
with regard to the meaning and
implication of certain articles of
the covenant Of the League of Ma
tons; and I must frankly say that
l am unable to understand why
such doubts should be entertained.
You will recall that when had the
pleasure of a conference with your
committee and with the Com
mittee of the House of Represent
tatives on Foreign Affairs at the
White House in March last
the question now most fire.
quently asked about the League of
Nations were all canvassed, with
a view to their immediate clarifi-
cation. The covenant of the
league was then in its first draft
and subject to revision. 1t was
pointed oat that no express recog-
milton was given to the Monroe
Doctrine, that it was not expressly
pTONlutu tIdl Tie lcdB ut
have no authority to act or to eX-
press judgment on matters of do
mestic policy, that the right to
withdraw from the league was not
expressly recognized, and that the
constitutional right OF the Con-
gress to determine all questions of
peace and war was not sufficiently
safeguarded. On my return to
Paris all these matters were taken
up again by the Commission on the
League of Nations and every sug-
gestion of the United States was
accepted.
Americas View Accepted.
The view of the United States
with regard to the questions I
have mentioned had, in fact. al
ready been accepted by the COM
mission, and there was supposed
to be nothing inconsistent with
them in the draft of tNe covenant
first adopted. the draft which was
the subject of our discussion in
March, but no objection was made
to saying explicitly in the text
what all had supposed to be i'm
plicit in it. There was absolutely
no doubt as to the meaning of any
one of the resulting provisions OF
the covenant in the minds of those
who participated in drafting them,
and ! respectfully submit that
there is nothing vague or doubtful
in their wording.
The Monroe Doctrine is expressly
mentioned as an understanding
which is in no way to be impaired
or interfered with by anything
contained in the covenant, and the
expression regional understand
ings like the Monroe Doctrine"
was used, not because any one of
the conferees thought there was
any comparable agreement any
where else in existence or in con-
temptation, but only because it
was thought best to avoid the APP
pearance of dealing in such a
document with the policy OF a
single nation. Absolutely nothing
is concealed in the phrase.
With regard TO domestic ques-
tlons, Article XVI. of the cove
nant expressly provides that if in
case Of any dispute arising be-