The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1919-03-08
Former President Taft Thinks
Senators VIII
Change.
DIFFERENT ASPECT
WILL BE APPARENT
Few to Be Found Willing to AS
sumo Responsibility of De-
creeing That Peace be Post
poned While Treaty is Chang
ed to Suit Their Desire.

New York, March "A league OF
nations covenant is indispensable to
the treaty Of peace if "the war is to
accomplish the declared purpose OF
this nation and the world" Former
President TAT. told audience at the
Metropolitan Opera House tonight in
Ian exhaustive discussion OF the
league principles. preceding the ad-
dress of President Wilson.
Adherence Of the Washington1an
policy OF avoiding foreign alliance
could not be applied to the present
International status, Mr.. TAFT dec1ar-
ed, because the interests Of the Unit
ed States are inevitably involved In
the preservation Of European peace
For the United States to withdraw
from the project, he asserted, would
make the league Of nations merely
a return to the system OF all-
ances and the balance of power with
q speedy recurrence Of war, in WEich
this country would certainly be in
yoIved, as it was in the present
struggle"
Referring to criticism Of the
league plan in the senate, the former
president stated his belief that it wes
the duty of the president, as the
prime mover in the nations treaty
making power to report the eventual
draft of the treaty with the former
central powers with the league cove
nant as part of the treaty itself, il IL
: his Judgment and that Of the peace
fePence an agreement formally Ter
mmating the war would be incompat-
ible without it, II the president
Mr.. Taft, he yentured to doubt Il
there would be a majority of the
members willing: to, assume the re-
sDons:bility of decreeing that the
treaty be amended by striking OUT
the constitution Of the league and
committing the question to further
discussion at Paris. Mr.. Taft stated
) his opinion that the problem would
have "a somewhat different aspect"
for senators upon whom would he
laid the bsame for ''postponing peace"
Though he relied upon America S
training for hundreds Of years in self
government TO counteract the hard,
cruel, murderous spectre of Bolste:'-
ISM in this country, Mr.. Taft asser>-
ed that ..if it spreads over and de-
stroys the existing governments o1
: Fr1nce and England and Italy and
thretens them and includes the whole
Of Europe in its poisonous and con-
tagious influence, we must not MN
inlize its dangers to our own civiliza-
ton.
I'VE should not ignore the pro.
found embarrassment that we
would have in our relations to Bol.
shevist Europe with its present civil
ization destroyed" he continued
Looked at from either selfish or
world point Of view, no higher duty
ever lay upon the Enited States thar
now in this critical juncture in the
worlds affairs TO be united with tho
nations with whom it has won this
war in arms and brought Germany to
her knees, to keep her ia that suppl
ant attitude and saved her and Eu-
rope from the chaos and despair OF
further war and the inevitable t:i-
uNlpN OF bOiSNeHiSIH
eff it be said that the European
nations should be united in q league
to maintain these Independent states
and settle the differences arising be-
tween then ard the older states in the
sphere of war and in resisting Boil
sl1evism it is sufficient to say that
the withdrawal of the United States
froy,o Of M tj0nc will yyp9:.-
en- it inmeaslrably.'
The united forces of a league o.
nations is necessary to stabilize con-
ditions among; the new nations, said
the former president citing armed
enf1icts already in progress between
<ar-born powers, lacking self re-
straint and not conlprehendins tho
scope of their powers
Mr.. Taft saw no threat against the
Monroe Doctrine in the league cove
nant under which, he said, America
would take the initial steps and pre-
sumably would be in charge of rep
ressive action in case CT violations on
the American continent European
members would attend TO Europe
and Asiatic members TO Asia, unless
conflict of such seriousness deve!-
oped that the peace Of the world was
endangered.
Yet, the Monroe Doctrine itself. he
declared, was subject to limitations.
In some speeches in the senate. he
added, ''intimations have been made
which enlarge this doctrine beyond
what can be justified"
Mr.. Taft said he would favor a rec
pgnition of the Monroe Doctrine by
specified words in the covenant with
a further provision that the settle
ment of purely American questions
should be RENTED primarily to the
American nations with machinery
like that of the present league and
thar European nations should not IN
tervene unless requested by the Amer
ican nations.
1.-The European nations" the form
81 president said, adesire our en-