The sun., 1919-09-01
DEFENCE SOCIETY
SEES TRAPS IN PACT
Urges Senate to Separate Cove
nant From Treaty and
Then Reject IL.
PHRASES ARE DIssECTED
Only Evil Results Predicted
Should Leagues Terms Be-
come Effective.

The American Defence Society made
public last night the report of q com
mittee appointed by the board of trustees
20 study the covenant OF the League OF
Nations as adopted by the Peace Con-
ference at Paris. The report, which II
signed by number OF the most prom
inent members Of the society. requests
the Senate TO reject the covenant and
eliminate It from the treaty OF peace
with Germany, and in place Of the
covenant to request the nations which
fought against Germany to form COM
mittees for the performance of those
duties under the treaty necessary to
regulate the carrying out Of its terms
by Germany The report says:
The covenant can be eliminated from
the treaty with which II has been
mechanically. but not intesrally, inter-
woven. for the reason that It 10 q
mechanical Intervening snly. The two
have different aims ana different In
tents, and they deal with subjects not
interreiated In their essence. The Peace
Conference, now In session, has full
power to substitute the machinery of
committees for that of the covenant.
Any claim that the treaty and the
covenant are fnterdependent In an integ-
raj sense would hardly be ingenious.
for the intent to mechanically Intervene
for the purpose of preventing their
separate consideration was declared be-
forehand."
Copies ofsihe report and statement of
the committee have been sent to every
member Of the Senate. signed by Charles
Stewart Dawson. John r. Rathom,
George B. Agnew, Richard washburn
Child, DR.. william T. Hornaday, New
ton w. Gilbert. Lee de Forest, William
GugEenheirn, Robert Appleton, DR.. L. L.
Seaman. C. s. Thompson, Raymond ].
TIFFANY. ]. P. Harris and Charles Larned
Robinson.
Serious Objections Set Forth.
Certain of the serious objections
which the committee has to the covenant
are as follows
'aThe covenant involves. in already
known and In as yet unrecognized direo-
tons, both definite and underlined sur
renders OF sovereignty; therein it is OBJ
noxious to the Constitution OF the United
States ana thereby subversive Of the In
dependence OF this nation. A distin-
guished advocate OF the covenant has
claimed that these evils can be nullihed
In that the covenant can be entered
upon and its obligations rendered nuga-
tory by our veto. II this be true, and 1t
Is more than doubtful. a proposal that
the United States should enter into al
agreement not intended in good faith to
be carried out should not be entertained.
"Other nations should have no voice
In interpreting the Monroe Doctrine. nor
as to the size OF our army or our navy.
nor as to what limitations this nation
may deem essential TO impose upon Inn
migration or the importation Of goods.
.sThe proposal to commit this Country
TO a blind general UNFOLDING OF the
regional understandings which now ex-
list, as we'll through open as possibly
through still secret treaties and lees for
NAL agreements. and whereby there ara
created spheres OF influence in favor OF
various nations over various portions o.
the earth now occupied by less advanced
people. Is an abomination; and this
whether such undertaking on our part
does or does not constitute the jnsider-
alton OF q bargain for quasi-rccogni-
tion of the Monroe Doctrine IN the
covenant by its erroneous recital as 3
regional understanding.
There are deliberate traps in several
places in the phraseology in the cove
nant Examples are: The power OF the
council In Article X. to advise upon.
not whether steps shall be taken but the
means to be employed in certain contin-
gencies, so also the right to deal with
matters, provided for in another article
each phrase imports the power to &C,
while avoiding the explicit recital Of the
power.
Reservations Held to he Void.
concerning reservations It Is called
10 your attention that attempted reser-
vations In connection with partial sur
renders OF sovereignty have been hereto.
fore declared to be void and of no eff.
feet by the Supreme Court Of the United
States and are idle and Intellectual ex-
cept as they may be deemed to morally
Justify q subsequent refusal In giver
case to comply with requirements. Mean
while any such refasals on our par,
which might occur would be fruitful
sources Of grave international complica'
tons II we have accepted the covenant
as whole.
'sThe evil results to US which win fol.
low our adoption of the covenant are be-
coming apparent Not only must we, II
we adopt the covenant. at our peril guar.
antee Thracs to Bulgaria (our late en-.
emy) or to Greece (our late frienc) and
n necessary engage In war to maintain
our award, but also at our peril, Fiums
TO the Croats (our late enemies) or tc
Italy (our late friend) and II necessary
make war TO sustain our decision. Not
TO weary with enumeration. Albania
Northern Epirus. Syria, Anatolia. the
Dodecanessus. Palestine, Lithuania, Ii.
vonia. Esthonia. Ukrania, Carpatho.
Russia and the abodes OF twenty other
tribes clamor for a definite disposition Of
their political futures into their owr
hands. or TO one or another among the
rival claimants to their possession oil
domination, and we must at our peri
guarantee by war the errors that ir
our human ignorance we and the Others
composing the league shall assuredly
commit in deciding these dubious ques.
TONS