Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1919-08-27
DECLARES
LEAGUE FOR WAR
ukens 1t to Holy Alliance Which
Fettered Europe.
WOULD WEAKEN THE U. S.
Senator Says Covenant In Its Present
Form Would Kill the Monroe Doc
trine and Plunge Am=riea
Into Every Quarrel.

Washington. Aug. 13.-Describing
the League of Nations as a "deformed
experiment upon a noble purpose"
Senator Lodge of Massachusetts, chair
man of the foreign relations commit
tee and Republican leader of the SEN
ate, declared in senate speech that
there were features of the league cove
nant which "as an American" he never
could accept Creating not a league
of peace but an alliance embracing
many provisions for war;" the cove
nant in its present form, he asserted,
would kill the Monroe doctrine nullify
any possibility of withdrawal from
membership. impair the sovereign
power of deciding domestic questions
and plunge the United States into
every controversy and conflict on the
face of the globe"
Let US beware" he said, "how we
palter with our independence. We
have not reached the great position
from which we were able TO come
down into the field of battle and help
to save the world from tyranny, by be-
ing guided by others. Our vast power
has all been built up and gathered to-
gether by ourselves alone.
Fears Gripping of Nation.
Eve forced our navy upward from
the days of the Revolution, through a
world often hostile and always indif-
ferent. We owe no debt to anyone ex-
cept to France in our Revolution and
those policies and those rights on
which our power has been founded
should never be lessened or weakened.
II will be no service to the world to
do so and 1t will he of intoierabie in
jury to the United States. We will do
our share to preserve the worlds
peace. But we can do it best by not
Gripping ourselves.
II am as anxious as any human be-
ing to have the United States render
every possible service to civilization,
but | am certain we can do 1t best by
not putting ourselves in leading strings
or subjecting our policies and our SOW
ereignty to other nations / will go as
far as anyone in world service, but the
first step to world service is the MAIN
tenance of the United States
Il can never be anything else, but
an American, and l must think of the
United States first. and when l think
of the United States first in an ar
like this. am thinking of
what is best for the world, for if the
United States fails, the best hopes of
mankind fail with it,"
will Not "Break World Heart"
1--WE are told that we shall break
the heart of the world if we do not
take this league just as it stands. I
fear that the hearts of the vast ma
jority of mankind would beat on
and steadily and without any
quickening if the league were to per-
ish altogether. If it should be effec-
lively and beneficently changed the
people who would lie awake in sorrow
for a single night could be easily gath
cred in one not very large room. but
those who would draw a long breath
of relief would reach to millions"
Likening the league to the iIl-famed
Holy alliance, Mr.. Lodge quoted the
covenant provision giving the assem-
bly, authority to IDEAL at its meetings
with any matter affecting the peace of
the world" and continued:
"There is no such sweeping or far
reaching provisions as that in the
treaty of Paris, and yet able men de-
veloped from that treaty the Holy al
lance. which for 80 years was an I'M
mitigated curse TO the world. England
broke from the Holy alliance because
English statesmen saw that it was in
tended to turn the alliance-and this
league is an alliance-into a means of
depressing internal revolutions or in
I'm article 10 the United States is
bound on the appeal of any member of
the league not only to respect hut TO
preserve its independence and its
and that pledge. if we give
IT, must be fulfilled. There is to me
no distinction whatever in a treaty be-
tween what some persons are pleased
TO call legal and moral obligations A
treaty rests and must rest, except
where it is imposed under duress and
securities and hostages are taken for
It's fulfillment, upon moral obligations.
IF the United States or any other
great country should refuse, no matter
how specious the reasons. to fulfill
both the letter and spirit every obliga-
ton in this covenant, the United States
would be dishonored and the .yqgue
would cruRlDle to dust. leaving lind
It a legacy of wars"