The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-02-15


v Publicity Of Agreements.
Then, you will notice. there Is an
Imperative article concerning the pub
: Iicity OF all international agreements.
|, Henceforth no member OF the league
J can claim any agreement valid which
II has not registered with the secre-
tary- general. in whose office, of
course. it will be subject to the exam
nation of any body representing q
member of the league And the duty
Is laid upon the secretary general to
publish every document of that sort
at the earliest possible time.
II suppose most persons who have
not been conversant with the business
of foreign affairs do not realize how
many hundreds Of those agreements
ARE made In n single year, and how
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lateiy--how upinteresting II would be
TO most of the world to publish them
/ immediately--hut even they must be
published just AS soon as II Is posi-
BILE for the secretary general to pub
lish them.
Then there is a feature about this
covenant which TO my mind is one OF
the greatest and most satisfactory ad-
vances that have been made. We are
done with innovations of helpless peo-
piles, meant in some instances by some
/ powers to be used merely for exploit
alton. We recognize In the most SOL
emn manner the helpless and undevel-
oped peoples Of the world being in
that condition but an obligation upon
us to look after their interests prt-
marty before we use them for our
interests and that in all cases OF this
sort hereafter il shall be the duty OF
the league to see that the nations who
%.xtN Avis
ers and directors of these peoples
shall look to their interest and to
their development before they look
TO the interest and material desires of
the mandatory nation itself.
No Greater Advance.
'~There has been no greater advance
than this. gentlemen. II you look
back upon history OF the world you
will see how helpless peoples have too
often been prey to powers that had no
conscience in the matter. 1t has been
one of the many distressing reveia-
tons of recent years that the great
power which has Just been happily de-
feated put intolerahle burdens and in
justices upon the helpless people of
some OF the colonies which it annexed
tn itself, that it's interest was rather
their determination than their devel-
opment; that the desire was to possess
their land for European purposes and
not to enjoy their confidence in order
that mankind might be lifted in these
places to the next higher level
Now, the world expressing its con
science in law essays there is an end
of that, our conscierc es shall be settled
to this thing. States will be picked
out which have already shown that
they can exercise 81 conscience in this
matter, and under their tutelage the
helpless peoples of the world will
come into a new light and into a, new
! hope
A Humane Document,
: $50 I think I can say of this docu-
mcnt that II is at one and the same
. time a practical document and hui
name document There is a pulse OF
= sympathy in it. There is a compulsior
Y of conscience throughout IL II /:
= practical, and yet It Is intended IL
= purify, to rectify, to elevate. And
h want to say that 30 far as my obser-
d vations instruct me this is I'm ont
1 sense a belated document. I believ,
d that the conscience of the world ha,
: long been prepared to express itsel
n in some such way.
I'VE are not just now discovering
! our sympathy for these people ant
. our interest in them. We are sinpl,
:, expressing it, for it has long been felt
- of more than ono Of the great state
y, represented here--so far as know al
i. of the great states that are represent
" ed here--that humane impulse has al
j. ready expressed itself in their deal
j., ings with their colonies. whose PEG
: Piles were yet at low stage Of civil
a ization. We have had many instance
= of colonies lifted into the sphere o
e complete self government This is no
,e the discovery of principle, 1t is tn
y universal application of a principle. /
e is an agreement OF the great nation
II which have tried to live by these stan
e dards in their separate administra
d rtions to unite in seeing that their com
10 mon force and their common though
re and intelligence are lent to this grea
-e and humane enterprise, / think it /
o an admission toccasion y therefore TO
II the most profound satisfaction tina
'e this humane decision should hav
l. been reached in a matter for whic
N the world has long been waiting an
until very recent period thought tina
ia II was still too early to hope.
< Many terrible things have com
re out OF this war. gentlemen, but som
a. a. very beautiful things have come OF
rs of It. Wrong has been defeated bu
the rest OF the world has been NOR
conscious than ii ever was before c
the majesty Of right People that wer
suspicious of one another can now liv
nj as friends and comrades in singi
r family and desire to do go
/ ''rhe miasma of distrust, of intrigu,
81 Is cleared away. Men are looking ey
10 TO eye and saying: We are brother
e. and have n common purpose. We di
y not realize 1t before, but now we d
l. realize It and this is our covenant {
friendship
C. --
I, HOW COVENANTS OF LEAGUE
ig WE'RE FLASHED BROADCAS
At
lt New York Feb. 1.-THE covenant
~ of the constitution OF the league {