The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1919-01-10
Washington Letter.
WE SHOULD PILOT OUR OWN
SHIP


Washington, January 7.-(SpeciaI
correspondence )-"This war;" said
President Wilson, chad it's roots in the
disregard of the rights of small ma
tions and of nationalities which lack
ed the union and the force to make
good their claim to determine their
own allegiances and their own forms
of political life" Quite so, but it is
pointed out by those opposed to Amer
lca's entering into entangling alliances,
Mr.. Wilson would form the leading
countries of the world into a League
of Nations for the express purpose of
coercing smaller nations and prevent
ing them from making good the
courses, international and domestic.
that they have marked out for them
selves.
"a general association of nations
must be formed" again remarks the
President, under specific covenants
for the purpose of affording mutual
guarantees of political independence
and territorial integrity to great and
small states alike" But the announced
purpose of the League of Nations is
primarily to deny political independ-
ence to any single nation and to sub
stitute for it the judgment of the
League, whether the country in ques-
tion is member of the League or not.
Likewise the League will be no re-
spector of territorial integrity" 1t
may be that conditions in Austrial-
Hungary are duplicated in other parts
of the world, where small states are
held together by the superior force of
the larger. In case of revolution on
the part of the weaker, the matter
would come within the purview of the
League and the boundaries would be
settled without regard to the "terri-
torial integrity" of either the large
or small contender. -
"My conception of a League of
Nations is just this" explains Mr..
Wilson in his latest public pronounce
ment in Paris, "that it shall operate
as the organized moral force of men
throughout the world, and that when
ever or wherever wrong and aggres-
sion are planned or contemplated, this
searching light of conscience will be
turned upon them and men everywhere
will ask What are the purposes that
you hold in your heart against the
fortunes of the world?' A rather
nebulous exposition of the subject, as
all of the Presidents rhetorical out
bursts are, but we gather from it
that the business of the League will
be to take charge of any commotion in
any part of the world, and proceed to
determine for itself whether wrong
or aggression are planned or contem-
plated" Suppose the League had been
in existence at the outbreak of the
Spanish-American war. Our real pur-
pose in going into Cuba would have
been subjected to investigation by a
tribunal dominated by the nations of
Europe. We would have advanced the
was to establish order in that oppress-
ed island, and abolish the cruelties
that had been practiced so close to
our own shores. After accomplishing
that purpose we would have assured
the League that we would withdraw to
our own territory and leave the Cubans
in the enjoyment of government of
their own. Would our protestations
have been accepted by the League?
Not for moment. No such altruistic
motives had ever actuated nation in
the past. Never had one of the men,
bers of the League entered upon for
eign soil unless for purposes of con-
quest or the extortion Of tribute.
Judged by the standards to which they
were accustomed the member nations
of the League would have scoffed at
the position of the United States, and
Spanish rule in Cuba would have con-
tinued
In considering this League Of Ma
tions it must be borne in mind cor
stantly that it necessarily involves
the surrender Of American detcrmina-
tion of American questions to an inter-
national court in which the United
States will hold but very small
minority Of power. Is that situation
in which we wish to place ourselves
without struggle?