Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1919-05-02
WILSON EXPLAINS LEAGUE
Text Of the Presidents Address Be-
fore the Conference
MEANING OF CHANGES In The TEXT


Grafton.
Following is the text of President
Wilson's speech before the plenary ses-
sion of the peace conference last Mon
day:
Mr.. President: When the text of the
covenant of the League Of Nations was
laid before you 1 had the honor Of
- reading the covenant in extenso. l
will not detain you today to read the
covenant as it has now been altered
but will merely take the liberty OF ex-
planning to you some Of the alterations
that have been made.
The report of the commission has
been circulated. You yourselves have
in hand the text Of the covenant, and
will no doubt have noticed that most
of the changes that have been made
are mere changes Of phraseology, not
changes Of substance, and that, besides
that, most Of the changes are intended
to clarity the document, or, rather, to
make explicit what we all have assum-
ed was implicit in the document as 1t
was originally presented you. But
I shall take the liberty of calling your
attention to the new features, such as
they are, some of them are considera-
BILE, the rest trivial.
The last paragraph Of Article I, is
new. In view Of the insertion OF the
covenant in the Peace Treaty, specific
provision as to the signatures OF the
treaty, who would become members OF
the league, and also as to neutral
states to be invited to accede to the
covenant, were obviously necessary;
The paragraph also provides for the
method by which a neutral state may
accede to the covenant.
The third paragraph of Article I is
new, providing for the withdrawal OF
any member Of the league on notice
given of two years.
The second paragraph Of Article ~
is new, providing for a possible in
crease in the council, should other
powers be added to the League OF Ma
tions whose present accession is not
anticipated.
The two last paragraphs Of Article
w are new, providing specifically for
one vote for each member of the
league in the council, which was un-
derstood before, and providing also for
one representative Of each member OF
the league.
The first paragraph Of Article is
new, expressly incorporating the pro-
vision as to the unanimity Of voting,
which was at first taken for granted
The second paragraph Of Article vi
has had added to it that majority OF
the assembly must approve the ap-
pointment of the secretary general.
The first paragraph Of Article VII
names Geneva as the seat Of the league
and is followed by a second paragraph
which gives the council power to es-
tablish the seat Of the league else
where, should it subsequently deem it
necessary.
The third paragraph of Article VII
is new, establishing equality of en-
ployment of men and women, that is
to say, by the league.
The second paragraph Of Article
XIII, is new, inasmuch as 1t under
takes to give instances Of disputes
which are generally suitable for sub
mission to arbitration, instances OF
what have latterly been called "justi-
fable" questions.
The eighth paragraph Of Article XIV
is new. This is the amendment re-
garding domestic jurisdiction, that
where the council finds that a ques-
ton arising out Of an international dis
pute affects matters which are clearly
under the domestic jurisdiction of one
or other of the parties it is to report
to the effect and makes no recommen-
dation.
The last paragraph of Article XVI
is new, providing an expulsion from
the league in certain extraordinary
circumstances.
Article XXI is new.
The second paragraph Of Article
XXI inserts the words with regard to
manufactures, and who are willing to
accept, it." thus explicitly introducing
the principle that a mandate cannot
be forced upon a nation unwilling to
accept it.
Article XIII is a combination of
several former articles, and also con-
tains the following: A clause provld-
ing for the just treatment of aborigi-
mes; a clause looking toward preven-
ton OF white slave traffic, and the
traffic in opium, and a clause looking
toward progress in international pre-
vention and control Of disease.
Article XIV specifically mentions
the Red Cross as one of the interna-
tional organizations which are to con-
nect their work with the work of the
league.
Article XXVI permits the amend
ment of the covenant by majority OF
the states composing the assembly, IN
stead of three-fourths Of the states,
though it does not change the require
ment in that matter with regard to the
vote in the council.
The second paragraph of Article
XVI is also new, and was added at
the request of the Brazilian delega-
ton, in order to avoid certain consti-
tutional difficulties. 1t permits any
member of the league to dissent from
an amendment, the effect of such dis
sent being withdrawal from the league
And the annex is added, giving the
names of the signatories of the treaty
who become members, and the names
of the states invited to accede to the
covenant. These are all the changes,
believe, which are of moment.
Mr.. PRESIDENT take the opportu'
nifty to move the following resolutions
in order to carry out the provisions OF
the covenant: You will notice that the
covenant provides that the first sec