Gunnison news-champion., 1919-08-29

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the eoveaant. al tho exDeeao1ce -
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Of the conSeIenes thooght eAoro -
any comparable agres0lsat aayvheeD
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: document with DVIey Of sinsis ~
-wttA regard to domestic suestso.a.
Article XVI Of the covenant exPrseely
prohibits that. II In cass Of aay etaD0oe
the matter involved is cisime1 b oss
Of the parties and y found by ehs
council to arise out Of . natter whteh
e. ~ ,nssnoS donsstie ;uI,sdiction Of hat p"rsy.
the council shall 10 report and shall
make no Recommendation ~ 20 Its set
The United state. was by no means
explicit adoption of this provtston. and
.nss " no desSt N 'ss ,sS q any
Law that such matters ~ tmmtg ration.
tariefs and naturalization are tncon-
testibiy domestic Questions with which
The right Of any state to " ithdraw
had been taken for granted. but NO OBJ
lection was made TO making II explicit;
Indeed. so soon a. the views expressed
at the White House conference were
laid before the commission IL was at
once conceded that .it was best not 70
question TO inference. no proposal was
made TO set up any tribunal to pass
judgment upon the question whether .
Withdrawing nation has In fact full
filled all its international obligations
under the covenant II was recognized
that that question must be left To be
faa NAa he nas.t. ssf he na
tion proposing to withdraw. and must
say that IL did not seem to me worth
while to propose that the article be
that the United States would never H.
self propose 10 withdraw from the
league II Its conscience was not en-.
tirely clear as to the fulfilimcnt Of all
its International obligations. II has
never failed To fulfiil them and never
will.
Article X is In no respect of doubt
full meaning when read in the light OF
the covenant as a whole. The council
Of the league can only advise upon.
the means by which the obligations OF
that great article are to be given effect
to. Unless the United States Is n party
TO the policy OF action In question. her
own affirmative vote In the council ID
necessary before any advice can be CIV
en- for a unanimous vote of the council
is REQUIRED. II she is a party. the
trouble Is here anyhow. and the unani-
nous vote 81 the council ts only ad-
vice In any case. Each government is
free to reject It n It pleases. Nothing
the conference than the right of our
Congress under our constitution TO cx-
efeise its independent Judgment in all
matters OF peace and war. No attempt
was made to question or limit that
Hight. The United States will. indeed,
undertake under Article X to respect
gression the territorial integrity and
existing political Independence ot~alI
members of the league And thai en-
IA n Hurtst x.sa<x
solemn moral obligation. But Il is
moral. not q legal obiisation. and
leaves our Congress absolutely free to
all cases that call for action.
Article X seems TO mr. to constitute
the very backbone OF the whole cove
nant. Without II the league would be
hardly more than AN influential dcbat-
Ing society. II has several times been
suggested In public debate and in pri-
the sense in which the United States
accepts the engagements of the cove
nant should be embodied In the instru-
reasonable objection 20 show interprc-
tations accompanying the act of ratifi-
cation provided they do not form a part
oi the formal ratification itself. But
u such Interpretations should consti-
tutc part Of the formal resolution OF
ratification. long delays would be the
the many govcrnmcnts concerned
would have to accept, In effect, the Lam
Euaxe OF the Senate as the language OF
complete. The assent of the German
assembly Mt weimar would have to be
obtained. among the rest. and must
frankly; say that could only with the
greatest reluctance approach that as
scmbly for permission TO read the
who framed II quite certainly under
stand II II the United States were to
qualify the document In any way
Moreover. I am confldent from what /
bates which accompanied the formula
tion oi the treaty that our example
would Immediately be followed In many
serious reservations. and that the
meaning and operative force Of the
one end of It's clauses TO the other