The Cordova daily times. [volume] (Cordova, Alaska) 1914-1947, 1919-03-05
THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS

The recent utterances of United
States senators in opposition to the
proposed league of nations, taken in
connection with yesterdays disgrace
full exhibition in the United States
senate, where another little group of
willful men" again caused to be held
up measures of vast consequence to
the welfare of the American people,
and which may be said to have repre-
scented the will of the people at this
time. may we'll cause every thought
full citizen to reflect on the dangers to
which this country is still exposed.
Despite the fact that a great war has
been carried to successful close, that
our armies are being demobilized
rapidly, that war industries are wait
ing to be converted into peace indus
tries; that immense problems face our
niied senator's, whose patriotism has
been impugned heretofore, and with
good reason, deliberately fiddle while
Rome is burning" And the American
people, helpless, are obliged to sit
back and witness the humiliating
spectacle What the motives OF these
the business of the government at this
time it is difficult to say; we may at
tribute it to either just plain pervers-
ity or the deplorable desire to play
politics at critical moments. or one
thing all will be assured-there was
no desire to serve their country be-
hind this spectacle.
Back of it all will be seen the effect
of the great question Of the day-the
proposed league of nations. How
much a desire to discredit President
Wilson in the eyes of the country and
the world may have been responsible
for yesterdays catastrophe remains to
be seen But that there is such a de-
sire no one can doubt.
The speeches Of Lodge, of Knox, of
Borah, Of Vardaman and lesser lights
in the senate reveal the fact that there
is a Well-organized effort to defeat the
plan for league of nations if pos
sibIe The utterances Of such men
as the first three mentioned can not
be cast lightly aside. They have
brought to light objections to the plan
which can not be gainsaid. They
have shown that the entry Of the
United States into such pact means
the surrender of a certain degree OF
national sovereignty; that the instru-
ment would nullify the Monroe doc
trine, and that we as nation would
be called upon to assist in the adJudl-
cation of disputes with nations with
which we are not concerned. These
statements are all true to certain eX-
tent. But it easily can be seen that
not one of these objections interposes
an insurmountable barrier to the par
ticipation of the United States IN
world league having for its object tne
abolition of warfare as means OF
settling international disputes. Inc
great objection to the position as
sumed nv these eminent statesmen is
not that they are opposed to the plan
being worked out at the Paris peace
conference, but their evident deter-
mination that they do not want to be
and will not be convinced of its merits
The studied snub intended by Senator
Rorah in his refusal to discuss the
n,an with the President, and the theat-
rical delivery of a speech prepared Ill
advance of Senator Lodges CONFER
ence with the President, after having
listened to the chief executives oplI-
ions. is not the spirit which the peo-
nile of the country have the right TO
expect from the men who conduct us
foreign affairs. These men evidently
bayeDtaken the stand that a position
once taken by them is impregnable to
assault by any battery of logic that
may be brought against it.
What is national sovereignty? and
what is this Monroe doctrine? of
which fetiches are being made by the
opponents of President Wilson? Each
one of the original states of the Union