The sun., 1919-08-17

Members Of the League any dispute
likely to lead to q rupture which IL
not submitted to arbitration land
the matter OF border outrages or
murders in the interior could never
be submitted by the United States to
foreign arbitrationI the Members OF
the League agree that they will sub
init the matter to the Council
The Council may in any case un-
der this Article tArticle XVI refer
the dispute to the Assembly. The
dispute shall be SO referred at the
request Of either party to the dis
pute, provided that such request DO
made within fourteen days after the
submission OF the dispute to the
Council"
So CARRANZA's Government, merely
by accepting for the purposes Of this
dispute" the obligatory invitation to
become a member of the League, could
shelter itself for an indefinite time
from precautionary or punitive meas
ures on our part behind the action OF
the Assembly, in which we should have
no vote and the British Empire, for
example. would have six votes; and
this exotic body would decide for us
what we might do or might not do
for the prevention Of outrage along
the Rio Grande or murder of Ameri-
cans in the interior. And in case the
decision Of the supergoverning As
sembly was one which the United
States could not In honor or in inter-
est accept, and we should insist on a
procedure not approved by the super
government, we should, by our own
showing, have declared war not only
against Mexico but against Great
Britain, France, Italy, Japan and all
the other members of the League, big
and little.
See Article XVI:
Should any Member OF the League
resort to war in disregard Of its
covenants under Articles XII, XIII
or XIV. it shall ipso facto be deemed
to have committed an act of war
against all other Members OF tho
League. which hereby undertake i'm
mediately to subject It to the sever
ance of all trade or financial rela-
tions. the prohibition of all inter
course between their nationals and
the nationals of the covenant break
ing State. and the prevention Of all
financial. commercial or personal in
tercourse between the nationals of the
covenant breaking State and the ma
tionals of any other State, whether
member of the Lea que or not"
Further, still In Article XVI:
ut shall be the duty of the Coun-
ell in such case to recommend to
the several Governments concerned
what effective military or naval force
the Members of the League shall
severally contribute to the armed
forces to be used to protect the
covenants of the League"
And il, undeterred by the Ernul-
phian curse of the Covenant, the
United States should persist in pursu-
ing Its rightful course Of action re-
specting Mexico, and should disen-
tangle itself from the League either
by the regular II slow process Of
withdrawal or by voluntarily and JOY
fully mourning the penalty Of expul-
sion which Article XVI. provides. and
If Mexico for shelter for the crimes Of
her bandits and the irresponsibility Of
her Government should remain a
member when we were out, the cele-
brated Article X. would become oper-
alive for the benefit OF the other
party to the dispute:
THE Members of the League I'm
dertake to respect and preserve as
against external aggression the ter
ritorial integrity and political indie
pendence of all Members OF the
League. In case of any such agrees
sion, or In case of any threat or dan
ger Of such aggression. the Council
shall advise upon the means by
which this obligation shan be full
filled."
We have taken the trouble to at
tempt to exhibit thus concretely and
specifically the bearing upon our In
dependence of action with regard to
Mexico of the covenant which Presl-
dent WILSON has prepared for our
shaekling. 1t has been his pleasant
fashion, while demanding the ratifica-
ton of the treaty as he proposes 1t
down to the smallest iota. to describe
the covenant as no abandonment Of
the Monroe Doctrine. but on the con-
trary as a beautiful extension Of that
doctrine. We should say so-an ex-
tension with a vengeance Prismatic
idealism indeed!
Is there an American worthy of
the name who does not prefer that
our policy regarding Mexico and our
dealings with Mexico In case of Dor
der or internal outrage upon Ameri-
can citizens or their property shall
remain, as now, matters for our own
decision and settlement, exclusive Of
any interference or supervision from
the other side OF the Atlantic or the
other side OF the Pacific?