Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-07-28

Continued from Page One.l
as Directing to interpretations such
as a clause here and there telling
exactly what a paragraph or ar
ticle means Article 10, for IN
stance. which would require the
United States and the other powers
jointly to agree to resist external
aggression when directed aaginst
the signatories of the treaty might
be supplemented with a paragraph
saying the American congress
would have to sanction the use of
military or naval force. This would
leave the executive department of
the government free to sever diplo-
matte relations, withdraw consuls,
apply an economic boycott or any
ether restrictive measures calcu-
lated to cause any obstreperous
member of the family of nations to
think twice about precipitating a
world war.
Really the whole fight in the sen
ate centers on article 10. And the
administration viewpoint is that
nothing novel is proposed under
that article. For example, the Mon
iOS RICASCd liz y AAISN
States to resist external aggression
against any country on this contin
SIT America has defended the Mon
roe doctrine and asserted it without
help from any other power. The
United States is now asked to as
sist in defending the territorial in
tegrity of European countries and
by the same token, European force
could be invoked to protect Amer
lean countries from aggression. So
Senator Hitchcock, arguing Tor
President Wilson. makes the point
that article 10 and the Monroe doc
trine declaration are not dissim1lar
in principle.
Enthusiastically the president Will
find it necessary to devote many Of
his speeches to article 10. the ad-
vantages to America and the world
under that article and its supposed
preventative or cautionary IN
fluence. The Shantung settlement
which is in the peace treaty itself
has caused a furore but will be
cleared up-in a few days. Japan
will make a statement or give
America her consent to make public
documents pledging. her to return
Kia Chau to China within a fixed
period. Language clarifying the
Monroe Doctrine clause is not OBJ
Siected to by the. league supporters
Any more than statement putting
immigration and tariff clearly with
in the domestic jurisdiction of each
country 1t is the obligation arising
out of article 10 which is causing
debate.
And President Wilson is confident
the American people will not shirk
these obligations when they know
how much is meant to the peace of
the world. Mr.. Wilson will tell the
people about conditions in Europe
and what chaos lies ahead if the
American senate should unduly de-
lay the ratification of the peace
treaty by causing a reopening Of the
negotiations at Versailles. Mr.. Will
son is said by close friends to be |
willing to make every concession |
to his opponents which does not de-
stroy the fundamentals of the |
league and peace treaty, that he
does not object to clarifying |
phrases or the statement of things |
which have seemed to him and the |
other plenipotentiaries to be fully /
covered by the treaty and league |
but on which an explicit statement |
may be thought desirable. But as
for reservations like the five or 10 |
year limitation on article 10. the |
president considers them proposals !
which would strip the league of its !,
main influence for permanent peace ,
aS the puaranfee w0uId be but tenn
perary and after 10 years European |
ffations would similarly be free to
renew the rivalry over territorial
acquisitions that has led to so many /
wars
Believes Public Behind Him.
Mr.. Taft has sought to compro-
mise the issue but Mr.. Wilson is
adament-not because he is unable |
tc see the dangers of an uncompro-
missing position on his part-but |
because he believes the American |
people are so1idly behind him, or I
will be when he goes before them