Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-06-02
SENATOR JOHNSON
ASSh;ES LEAGUE
ASA WAR TRUST
Declares Agreement Does
Not Promote Peace, But Is
Protection to Power.
SCORES THE SECRECY
AT PARIS CONFERENCE
Californian Asserts Covenant Con-
fers on Few Men Authority
Over Many Peoples.

fers on a Few Men Authority
Over Many Peoples.
Assailing the league of nations az
4 combination of armed powers gin a
gigantic war trust Senator Johnson,
of California told the
Senate today that the Paris confer
ence dared not amend the league cove
nant so the declaration of future wars
would be decided not by established
rulers. but by a popular vote of the
peoples concerned.
1t is not league of nations to
prevent war" he asserted. I'm it's
very creation il has been stripped of
every idealistic purpose il ever had.
1t contains within itself the germs OF
many wars. and. worse than that. 1t
rivets. As in the Shantune decision.
the chains of tyranny upon millions
of people and cements for all time
unjust and wicked annexations. II ID
a great world economic trust, wherein
a few men, sitting in secret may con-
troll the economic destinies of peo-
pies. 1t is not a league of peoples.
nor does it anywhere concern itself
with peoples.
Says Rulers "Sit in Secret.
Instead of coming closer to those
most concerned. the men and women
for whom governments should exist,
the league goes step further from
them. The representatives Of ruling
powers sit far away in secret u
those who wrote this document really
wanted to prevent war they would
have permitted the men and women
who must bear the burdens of war to
determine by their votes whether or
not there should be war.
The answer i'm this is not a league
to promote peace. but to protect pow.
er. Those who advocate 1t dare not
amend it so that the issue of war shall
be made by the men and women who
must fight and die for it -sa,-
Urging adoption of his resolution
asking the State Department for the
full text of the peace treaty. Sena tor
johnson read into the record the Oft
quoted utterances of President Wilson
regarding open diplomacy"
open covenants openly arrived at.
continued the senator. ARE now by
word and joke. Their mention brings
but synical smile. s.e
Claim Made by England.
when you remember that England
frankly says her treaties are YET in
alliance with Japan yet controlling.
and then you observe the United
States making some sort Of engage
ment the knowledge of which for the
present we are denied, You viii hs.yi
some conception OF what The league
of nations IS intend. d to do ,5
The revised covenant. Mr.. Johnson
continued. far from preserving the
Monroe doctrine. would mean its de-
struction. He declared the league
would be partnership between the
worlds one great going concern"
that government propaganda was dis
crediting league opponents. BY the
Paris negotiations, he said. the United
States has made many powerful ene-
miles,
TT is rare, indeed" he asserted.
that any speech is made IN favor or
the league which does not bitterly
condemn Americans who think OF
their own country first. For the first
time in our history. the jealous guard
ing of our own. the love of our ira
ditions. and our institutions. the pas
sion for our land and our liberty
have become venia1 sins.
New Thing in National Life.
We have learned in the FAST two
years a new thing in our national
life, national propaganda. The prop
Uganda. paid for by the people them
selves, has been devoted to deceivfnR
the people, and to clarifying those
who, by a peoples grace. have been
raised to high position. This per
process has been one OF the
powerful agencies for preventing
people from knowing the possibiiF'
ties of the league Of nations.
ION the 18th of November America.
as no nation on earth ever had been
before. was respected, revered and
beloved. After six months of meddling
and muddling in European and
Asiatic controversies and contests
over territory. the end of the peace
finds Italy detesting US.
France secretly despising US, Eng
land using US. and Japan bluffing US.
Alliance With National Bankrupts.
They are all willing and anxious
that We should have our league. of
nations, and willing and anxious be-
cause of the same spirit which has
ruled them in the peace conference,
The one going solvent concern ma
.ionally is about to enter into part
rupts. We give of our assets. both
moral and material, and assume
part of their liabilities.
GLADLY will we do what duty de-
hands, and humanity and civilization
nay require; but that duty can be
better done. our obligations TO hui
nanity and civilization better full
illed in the high opposition of the
worlds greatest democracy than in
he subordinate position of the least
of a quintuple alliance"
Recalling in detail the abuses which
followed the holy alliance. the Cali
ornia senator said it was organized
or the same declared purposes and in
he same ethereal and celestial Ian
yuage" as the leage now proposed.
Quotes Article 10.
He quoted article 10 of the league
covenant. in which member nations
to respect and preserve as
Igainst external aggression the terri
orial integrity of all the members,
md continued:
1.-The league of nations comes TO
IS after it's principal members have
'een gorged with territory. with their
and their limits increased
'eyond the widest dreams. The one
,oing solvent national concern on
arth undertakes by articles y TO
guarantee forever these extraordi-
ary territorial limits. This league OF
Iations. with the men who really
wrote it, was meant to obtain peace
nly in SO far as Deace maintained for