The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-09-08

this thing Is not interfered with. And
there is no other way except by uni
|versal league OF nations, and what Is
proposed here is an universal league
of nations. Only two nations are, FOR
the time being left out one OF them
Is Germany because We didn't think
that Germany was ready to come IN
because we felt that she ought to go
/ through a period of preparation. Be
cause she says that she has made
mistake and we now want her to
prove 1t by not trying 1t again.
i She says that she has aoolished all
the old forms Of government by
which little secret councils OF men
sitting nobody knew exactly where,
could determine the various fortunes
of that great nation, and incidentally
try to determine the fortunes OF man
kind and we want her 20 prove that
her situation is changed, and that 1t
is going to stay changed, and then
how can we say no to great people
sixty million strong, IL they want to
come in on equal terms with the
rest of us and take part In inter
national affairs.
/, l want to say that didn't find any
tof my colleagues in Paris disinclined
to do justice to Germany. But Will
say that this treaty is very hard on
lGermany. When an individual has
committed a criminal act, the punish
ment is hard, but the punishment is
not unjust and this action permitted
itself, through the acts of unscrupu.
lous governors to commit criminal
act against mankind, and it has to
undergo the punishmenr-not more
than it can endure, but up to me
point where it can do It, for the
wrong it has done.
!, But the things prescribed in this
treaty will not be carried out airy
one of the great nations that brought
that result about is withheld 1rom
the contamination of it and every
great nation is on the list OF those
who are to constitute the league of
nations. / say every great patton
because America is going to be In
And the only choice is wheth II we
Twill go in now or come in later win
Germany; whether we Will go IN as
Ior go in as those who are admitted
after they admit that they have
made a mistake and repentad.
i
possible in a great company like
this. l wish l could read. that cove
Inant to you because l do not be-
|lieve, If you have not read L your
self and have only listened to GER
tain subject, that You know what it
lis. Why, my fellow citizens, the
heart of that covenant is that there
shall be no more war. And TO listen
of fhn
listened to or read you would almost
think that 1t was an arrangement for
war. But on the contrary this Is the
heart of that covenant. The bulk of
lit is concerned with arrangements
under which all the members of the
lIeague-and that means everybody
but Germany and Turkey-agree that
they never will go to war without
first having done one or the other
of two things:
{! Either submit the question at issue
to arbitration in which case they
agree absolutely to abide, by the YER
dict: or if they don't care to submit
lit to arbitration, submit it to discus
sion by the council of the league OF
nations.
/ To give six months for the discus.
+
after the rendering OF the decision,
whether they like it or not before
they 20 to war. They agree to cool
off for nine months before they yleid
to the heat of passion, which other
wise might have hurried them into
war. And if they don't do that, 1t
lis not war that ensues; 1t is some
thing that will interest them very
lutte boycott of the nauon that dis
regards the covenant The boycott
is automatic and just as soon as it
Iapplies this happens:
No goods can be shipped out OF
that country and no goods can be
shipped into 1t. No telegraphic mes
sages may pass either way across its
borders; no package or postal mat
ter, and no letters can cross Its Dor
ders either way; nc citizen OF any
member of the league can conduct
any transactions OF any kind with
any citizen of that nation. 1t is the
most complete isolation and boycott
ever conceived, and there IS not ma
Ition in Europe that can live for fix
months without importing goods out
of other countries and after they
nave Talked dDOul I1dIItl LUZ ola
months predict they will have no
stomach for war.
About all you are told about this in
this connection as far as l can learn,
is that there is certain article ten.
l will repeat Article Ten, / think !
can repeat it:
Every member of the league prom
Uses to respect and preserve as against
external coercion not as against in
ternal revolution-the territorial inte-
gritty and existing political indepen-
dence of every other member of the
league and if it is necessary to enforce
this, then the council of the league
shall advise what action is necessary"
| Some gentlemen who doubt the
meaning of English words have
thought that advise" did not mean
advise" but / don't know anything
else it does mean and / have studied
English most of my life.
! And the point is this: That council
cannot give that advice without the