Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1919-05-22
FORMER PRESIDENT
TAFT ARGUES FOR
LEAGUE OF NATIONS
CONTINUED from pngc Onc)

matte type, said President Lowell. 1t
Is based on good faith. Otherwise. 1t
would be useless. The covenant of the
league consists almost entirely in the
delegation of the power to give advice
In certain cases. and 1t is provided that
The nation which lives up to the rulings
of the league shall not be attacked.
Three distinct obligations imposed by
the league were touched upon by Presi-
dent Lowell: ~ The guaranty of in
tegrity, political and otherwise; t0
agreement not to attack one another;
go obligation to blockade.
In explaining these points the speaker
said that we should not worry about
having to send soldiers to Europe for
every little affair which comes up in
the Balkans or elsewhere. in order to
guarantee integrity, nor is there any dan
ger of having to send men to the aid of
the British Empire. The empire can look
after itself. 1t is the small nations
which need protection, nations which we
have set up as independent following this
war; and which cannot maintain their in
dependence along if threatened by larger
nations. 1t is such nations that need the
guarantee of integrity.
1t is necessary that we agree not to
attack one another at all, without first
arbitrating the matter under discussion.
This is nothing new, as so many would
have us think The United States has
already done it in connection with about
20 nations, because 1t has been considered
a good policy to adopt.
If any nation does attack n member of
the league, without arbitration, all other
nations in the league will automatically
be under obligations to blockade the
offending nation and cease all intercourse
with her. Such n blockade, carried out by
land and sea, must necessarily bring any
nation to terms. The pressure of such a
blockade must end the matter in short
,rder.
There are many of u.s." said President
lowell, "who feel that if we had had a
league of Nations like this, there would
ave been no war, and if there had been
a war, we should have been in it at the
outset, and much bloodshod would have
been spared"
Toward the close of his address. Pres-
dent Lowell took up the six amendments
to the first league covenant, proposed
by Elihu Root, and showed that four
put of the six have been adopted in the
recond covenant, or covered in some way,
while the two which have not been
adopted are really unsuited to the situa-
ton.
In speaking Of the Monroe Doctrine, he
said:
This covenant recognizes for the first
time the Monroe Doctrine as Il right. In
the past, It has not been recognized.
and while we have been able to enforce
1t while at peace, other nations have not
refraned from interfering this con-
tinent when we were not in IA position to
back UP the Monroe Doctrine because of
internal troubles. Now the Monroe Doc
trine has been duly recognized by the
European nations and placed in the
league covenant"
OTHER SPEAKERS
The second speaker was Captain Cham
herlain, who gave the soldiers point of
view, Mr.. Houston spoke from the
business mans standpoint and Miss
Locke appealed to the people from the
Spiritual side Of the covenant.