The sun., 1919-05-09
The Knox Treaty.


dent WILSON Is about to submit to the
Senate is said to pledge the military
support of this nation, and conse-
quently, of course, Its financial sup
port, In case Of renewed attack by
Germany on France.
If this pledge Of the nations lives
and money to the defence Of France
Is acceptable to the American people
In it's substance and form, it should
be known to the world, in ordinary
Justice to the author of the idea, as
the Knox treaty.
This will distinguish it clearly from
the other treaty or covenant propos-
ing a radically different method of
preventing future irruption Of Hun
fury and greed.
The origin of the Knox treaty is
not in doubt. The idea has been
adopted by President WILSON and
used by him in his bargaining at
Paris to save the face of the League
of Nations, but the real authorship
IL a matter of record. The official
statement published yesterday morn
ing says:
THE President OF the United States
has pledged himself to propose to the
Senate of the United States and the
Prime Minister of Great Britain has
pledged himself TO PROPOSED to the
Parliament Of Great Britain an en-
gagement. subject to the approval
Of the Council of the League OF Ma
lions, to come Immediately to the
assistance of France in case OF un-
provoked attack by Germany"
The day before President WILSON'S
first departure on the George Wash
ington Senator KNOX introduced a
resolution to postpone consideration
of the League of Nations until an
appropriate season. The result Of his
proposal would have been to disentan-
gle our Government from that complex
and i'll defined enterprise of world
reform and world policing which had
already begun to occupy the larger
part of the cerebral space within the
circumference of the topmost point of
the Presidents bony structure. The
Knox resolution foreshadowed in this
way the practical scheme of safe.
guard which President WILSON now
adopts and proposes:
For the safeguarding OF these
aims Jour declared war aimsl the
first essential Is a definite under
standing that the same necessity
arising in the future there shall be
the same complete accord and coop
Grafton with our chief cobelligerents
for the defence OF civilization"
That Is why we respectfully insist
that the entirely normal treaty now
to be submitted by the President
should be named in honor of Sena
| tor KNOX.
The other idea of n dream safe
guard, rainbow barrier against
wicked incursions and selfish aggres
slons, an all powerful supersover
eighty or world federation suppressed
ing the present system of self-inter
ested nationalism-the abnormal con
ception of a sudden millennium OF
harmony and peace among nations tC
be effected by schemes of organiZa
tons and councils and assemblies anC
secretariats and other hopeful pound
ings on the keyboards of optimisti,
| typewriting machines. is fast fading
| like the pale moon when overwhelmed
with cold daylight.
| There could be no more impressive
admission of the practical futility o
the Covenant as safeguard of peac'
| than this announcement of forced
return TO the practical Knox pro
pOsal, ignored and suppressed in ;
Democratic Congress by the Admins
tration's legislative agents five months
ago. Derisible, If not pathetic, is TIN
lingering attempt to connect the nor
NAL engagement with the origina
Wilsonian idea by making the treaty
obligations nominally Subject to TIT
approval of the Council of the Leagu,
of Nations"
If the Knox treaty becomes al
American obligation by the vote o
the Senate, the obligation to 20 to tn,
defence of France on proper occasion
is likely to be fulfilled us purel
American duty and responsibility, an,
without much thought of the ap
proval or disapproval of League Coun
Gil members representing in the &c
neva Palace of Peace foreign Govern
ments which are not parties to tn
treaty or mentioned in the Unite,
States Constitution as censOrs o
American declarations Of war.