The Greeneville daily sun. (Greeneville, Tenn.) 1918-1920, 1919-09-04
OUR FIRST LEAGUE on NATIONS.

Americans are the only persons who may be depended
upon to guard the interests of the United States in
nection with the proposed League of Nations If Amer
leans do not look after their countrys rights and interests
no one will The citizens of other countries doing
their best to further the interests of their respective
tries without regard the interests of the United States
Throughout the world there is manifest disposition to
gain advantages and the beralty of the United States
has been outrageously exploited and abused
The covenant of the League of Nations not writ
ten by Americans by any persons familiar with the
American Constitution The structure of the league
antagonstic the structure of the United States gov
ernment One must be altered to adjust it to the other
if both are to exist Which shall be altered? The one
that has been teste for century and found efficient in
securing liberty Americans, the that is expert
mental INFESTED and unsuitable to American methods
of government?
Many superficial students of American istory jump
to the opinion that the proposed League of Nations is
step forward in the world similar to the step taken
by the United States when it adopted the Constitution
They point to the opposition to the Constitution in 1887
by many we-known men, and suggest that the present
critics of the League Of Nations equally mistaken
The truth is however, that the Constitution was adopted
as for state of affairs closely resembling that
which would exist under the proposed League of Ma
TONS The American States were leagued together il
Articles of Confederation which, like the proposed League
of Nations, attempted the impossible task of leaving t.
each state its full sovereignty and yet subjectng it
central authority The states sometimes obeyed thu
Continental Congress- but often dsobeyed it. Wher
Congress was in session the government carried
forward by an executive committee consisting of ont
delegate from each state arrangement resembling thu
council of the proposed League Of Nations In Congress
each state had VOTE and at least nine of the thirteen
votes required before the smallest step coult
taken This provision, which resembles the League Of
Nations plan nearly prevented the American people from
gazing their independence, took away the power o.
the states without substituting effective power
The Articles of Confederation could not be amended
by unanimous vote-a provision like that of the League
of Nations This provision finally caused the people OF
the United States to abolish the league and adopt in its
place real Constitution which would establish rea
government with all the attributes of sovereignty. From
me hour the American league OF natonS was aDoSneo
and real super-governmen established there has been
liberty and security in the United States supergov
eminent the states made possible by the homo
gene of the people and the compacness of the country
one language system of laws and one standard OF
living From Massachusetts to Georgia they were one
people Hence when they abolished their unavoidable
League of Nations and created single central Fedora
republic, they browning the system under which
they had lived and moved
The proposed League of Nations goes directly con.
rary to the successful experience of the American PEG
pie. 1t would bleed the sovereignty of the American
Union the Articles of Confederation bed the states
without giving strength security in return instead
Of creating effective central government of the world
which is the only imaginable improvement upon the eec
i've central of the United States of America
he authors of the league have made the mistake made
by the authors of the Articles of Confederation of at
tempting to reconcile the sovereignty of independent ma
ions with the sovereignty of league 1t cannot be done
Either the nations will remain sovereign and scof al
,he league whenever they please or the league will he
come sovereign and eXtngush the independence of the
nations
What will Americans decide now? Will they see TIE
acte as clearly their orefathers saw them in 1887
IF will they yield to camor and join league of which
hey know nothing except that it is inconsistent with the
american system of maintaining independence and
ibcrty?- Washington Post.
If the little red ant wise, it would reduce itself
few sizes and become totally invisible