New-York tribune., 1919-02-06
Must Keep Club Over Ger
many and Protect the
Smaller Nations, He Says
Explains League Plans
1t Seeks to Arouse Public
Opinion i'm a Series Of
Nationwide Congresses


the Atlantic Congress for League Of
Nations gathered yesterday in the grand
ballroom of the Hotel Astor. The
avowed object of the congress, which is
the first of a series of nine sectional
meetings called by the League to En-
force Peace, is to stimulate and active
ly to consolidate American public opin-
ion behind the League of Nations prof.
ect now taking shape in Paris.
This," said the former President,
bringing the assemblage to its feet in
a prolonged demons stration, sis q matter
tnat oyershadows all lines of parties or
of nations"
William Church Osborn, Clifford
Pinchot and other speakers emphasized
the same point.
Senator Borah,' said Mr. Taft, in
the course of his opening address, ais
reported to have said that we are be-
ginning series OF congresses that is
tending toward Bolshcvism-that the
doctrine we are to preach is a blow at
nationalism, and that we are to be
Bolsheviki.' He paused, and his con.
taglous chuckle rippled over the 'front.'
row seats.
WAS Roosevelt Bolshevik:"
"Do | look like Bolshevik ?" he
asked. Il do not think you dc. Theo
core Roosevelt, in the last editorial he
wrote, favored our plan. Was Theodore
Roosevelt a Bolsheyik? Such remarks
Ahow the extreme to which a narrow
view of this subject will carry o man"
1t is to prove the fallacy of these
narrower views, Mr.. Taft explained,
and to educate the public as to the
larger issues comprised in the league
scheme that the present nation wide
series OF congresses has been called at
this particular time.
"The man in the street." protested
the, former President, "does not yet
understand the true, inner and vital
significance of this matter"
Unless he speedily comes to under
stand it, however, Mr.. Taft declared,
the Allied victories in the field will
have been largely in vain.
Believes in Force
In the succeeding detailed explana-
tion which he gave of the tenets un-
derlying the league conception Mr..
Taft constantly emphasized this point
that force will always in the last
analysis back up the league authority
The purposes Of the pending peace
treaties he defined as twofold First,
they must aim so to hem in Germany
as to render forevcrmore impossible
her dream of world conquest. Second
ly, he said, they must crafty the
yearnlng of the smaller nations to as
surcd self-d determination
I'VE are launching in Middle and
Eastern Europe said he, "from a half
dozen to eight or ten Cubas, as it
were; and il these nations are going
TO serve the purpose, in particular, of
restraining Germany, they must be
improved in stability. We cannot af
ford to have them fall. We have
conceived them and given birth to
them, and they are our children, and
we have got to lead them along.
Must Maintain Two Leagues.
Therefore, we must maintain two
Leagues Of Nations such as now exist
such, indeed, as existed even before
the war. and such as must exist TO
achieve the purposes of this treaty in
order that we may effectively help
thpso children OF ours until they can
wall. ;lonc."
Mr. Mr. Taft's speech in part follows:
"Now III Philadelphia We agreed to
league to enforce peace which we
lrecommended the nations should join,
by which the members should be
bound by stipulation.
81. An international court to con-
slider and decide and render Judgment
on all justiciablo issues.
"2. court Of Cancellation to rec
ommend compromises on all questions
that were not justiciable.
"3. An agreement nt-mark that-an
agreement between the nations when
cxgency arose to unite their
economic power, or, if need be, their
military forces to restrain and sun
press any member of the league that
might begin war before Submission
before one or\the other OF these two
tribunals.
"a. A congress Of nations which
should add to and codify and improve
and revise international law and sub.
NIT its recommendations to all the
nations members of the league, so that
If these nations did not object the
recommendations should be treated as
innternational law for the government
OF the tribunals Of the league
Ihat IS rather q short and COM
prehensive platform. 1t was not at
tempted to give out details, because
it was not thought either possible or
practicable or expedient to attempt it.
Then IN this country, under Mr..
Eapgood and his associates, was or
gained league Of free nations, who
agree with our programme, as | un-
derstand it, but have some other aims
as we'll.
"Then we thought it wise after hav-
ing prepared tentative draft of the
treaty, which at the instance Of Presi-
dent Wilson we have not pub
iished, to increase our hopes and
aims by an additional statement in
which we recommend that the judg-
ment Of the court should be enforced
by the use of the joint economic power
OF the nations and by military COM
blnation Of forces il need be; and in
which we indicated, what indeed all
the plans other than ours-certainly in
England and in France--had recon-
mended: that the league be formed
OF the Allies contending in the war7
llTst, and that thereafter the more gen.
OF the Allies contending in the war.
eral character of the league develop
Mr.. Taft then upheld Mr.. Wilson'S
trip to Europe
"Oh, know you have heard great
deal about the violation of the Con-
stitution. Well, | yield to no man in
the worship of that fundamental in
stlumcnt, and worship it the more be-
cause there are good many gentlemen
whom would not trust with that in
strument overnight. But you cannot
md any line in that Constitution which
forbids the President going to the place
where his highest constitutional DUTY
IS when occasion calls for it. And it
| has done him good. And it would do
some gentlemen in Washington good,
| too.
"Ths theory that party lines should