Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-09-05
engage to resist and to preserve
against all external aggression the
~ inl int unity and nnlitiGAl In.


against all external aggression the
40. ial integrity and political In.
dependence Of the nations concerned.
That promise is necessary in order to
prevent this sort of war recurring.
and we are absolutely discredited II
we fought this war and then neglect
the essential safeguard against it,
You have heard it said. my fellow
citizens, that we are robbed of some
degree Of our sovereign independence
and choice by articles Of that sort.
Every man who makes choice to
respect the rights of his neighbors
deprives himself of absolute sover-
eighty, but he does 1t by promising
never to do wrong. and cannot, for
one. see anything that robs me of any
inherent right that ] ought to retain
when promise that | will do right.
We engage. in the first sentence of
Article Y. to respect and preserve
from external aggression the terri
toral integrity and the existing po-
litical independence. not only OF the
other member states. but of all
states. aud il any member Of the
league OF nations disregards that
promise, then what happens? The
council of the league advises what
should be done to enforce the respect
for that covenant on the part of the
nation attempting to violate 1t. And
there is no compulsion upon us to
take that advice-exccpt the compul-
sion of our good conscience and
Judgment. So that II Is perfectly
evident that if, in the judgment Of
the people of the United States, the
council adjudged wrong, and that
this was not an occasion for the use
of force, there would be no necessity
rn the part OF the Congress Of the
United States TO vote the use Of force.
But there could be no advice of the
council on any such subject without
unanimous vote, and the unanimous
vote would include our own And il
we accepted the advice We would be
accepting our own advice. For
need not tell you that the represent
atives of the government of the United
States would not vote without in
srructions from their government at
home, and that what we united in
advising we could be certain that our
people would desire to do.
There Is in that covenant not one
note of surrender Of the independent
Judgment of the government of the
United States, but an expression Of 1t +,
because that independent judgment
would have to join with the judg.
ment Of the rest.
But when is that judgment going
to be expressed, my fellow citizens
Only after it is evident that every
other resource has failed. And I
want to call your attention to the
central machinery of the league of na
stions. IL any member of that league,
or any nation not a member, refuses
to submit the question at issue, either
to arbitration or to discussion by the
council, there eusues automatically
by the engagements of this covenant,
an absolute economic boycott. There
will be no trade with that nation by
any member of the league; there will
be no interchange Of communication
by post or telegraph there will be no
travel to or from that nation; its
borders will be closed; no citizen OF
any other state will be allowed to
enter il and no one of it's citizens
will be allowed to leave it. 1t will be
hermetically sealed by the united ac
tion of the most powerful nations in
the world. and if this economic boy
colt bears with unequal weight, tho
members of the league agree to sup
port one another and to relieve one
another in any exceptional Gisad
vantages that may arise out of it.
Boycott Certain Remedy
And / want you to realize tina
this war was won not only by tn
armies of the world, hut it was VOL
by economic means as well. With
out the economic means the wa
would have been much longer con
tinued. What happened was tha
Germany was shut off from the eco
nomic resources OF the rest of tn
globe aud she could not stand it an
a nation that is boycotted Is natio
that is in sight OF surrenda-. Appl
this economic, peaceful, silent
deadly remedy and there will be n
need for force.
IL is a terrible remedy. 1t doe
not cost a life outside the natio
boycotted, but it brings a pressur
upon that nation which. in my judg
mcnt, no modern nation could re
sist.
dare say that some of those idea
are new to you, because while it
true, aS j said this forenoon !
Columbus, that apparently nobod
has taken the pains 10 say what Is
the covenant Of the league OF nation
They have discussed three,--chieh
threo--out Of twenty six articles
and the other articles contain thi
heart of the matter, that instead {
war there shall be arbitration; In
stead sof war there shall be discus
sion; instead Of war there shall