The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1919-05-22

and France, Germany and Italy, and
Germany and Japan. This obviously
Instantaneous condition for our indus.
tries and this delay in the resumption Of
our trade with Germany should make
the business community of the United
States serutinize with care the reasons
for substantially amending the covenant
or attempting to dissect it out of the
treaty.
"0f course, if the covenant exposes our
country TO danger and risk that we
should not assume, the considerations
which we have advanced should not be
allowed weight and the treaty and the
covenant should be rejected, at whatever
cost OF Inconvenience or delay. But the
necessary halt in the coming Of that era
Of prosperity which merely awaits per-
manent peace and the losses which IL will
entail upon this country, require the
business men and all others to examine
with the closest scrutiny and care the
arguments made against the covenant
and its inclusion in the treaty
There has been much general attack
on the treaty, much emphasizing of dan
gers which could arise only in remote
contingencies and much straining of the
meaning of ordinary words into unusual
and impossible significance in order TO
sustain objections to the covenant. There
have been far-fetched prohibitions found
in the federal constitution Of such a
covenant which judicial authority and
actual precedent both refute. With the
result of the rejection of the treaty, or
It's substantial amendment, now clearly
before the country these objections must
pass in closest review and must be clear
ly sustained If the inconvenience and
burden and delay of rejection or amend
ment are to be justified. This is espe-
cially true in view of the amendment to
the covenant as first reported by which,
should we find after ratification and ac-
tual operation of the treaty that any Of
the criticisms Of it were justified, we
can, within two years withdraw from
further obligations of the treaty. More
than that, there is the power of amend
ment by the unanimous consent of nine
of the powers whose representatives con.
stitute the council and majority of all
a
changing provisions which prove to be
burdensome, which will enable the per-
feeting of the league as experience shall
require.
The Big Advantages Overlooked.
"a phase of the discussion of the
league has been the tendency to concen-
trate it on particular features or articles
thought to be dangerous, and to omit the
presentation of the general organization
Of the league and it's great and useful
machinery for rendering war improbable
and making peace reasonably permanent.
u shall begin, therefore, with the four
great steps taken in the league to achieve
this purpose, and show its value to the
world and to us TO be so capital that we
ought to allow no minor objections or
doubt to deprive us of their inestimabe
benefits. The covenant does not create a
league. 1t delegates to no managing
committee or body the power to act for
members of the league. Il is not that
kind of league, however effective such
league might be- The covenant is an
agreement for cooperation by members
Of the league to achieve its purpose. The
members are themselves TO act and TO
delegate to no other body the power to
act Tor them. They are to act through
their constitutional agencies With us,
if a boycott is to be levied, IL is for Con-
gress to decide whether this obligation
has arisen under the treaty and cove
nant, and then to levy the necessary en-
barge If military forces are TO be used,
it ii for Congress to determine whether
they are to be SO used and to authorize
their organization and use. If armament
is to be limited, it is for the treaty
making power, or Congress, to consent
to the limit and for Congress to keep
within it.
There are two bodies provided for in
the organization of the league One is
the council of nine members, five of them
to be representatives of the five great
powers, the United States, the British
empire, France, Italy and Japan, and
four of them to represent four other
powers selected by the assembly. The
assembly consists of representatives Of
all the members of the league. Each
country may have from one to three
delegates, but can only cast one vote.
The function of the council is advisory
and reeommendatory in respect TO all
the functions Of the league. 1t is the
agency through which members Of the
league are advised of the state of affairs
and through which they can agree upon
cooperation It is more active body
than the assembly and meets more fire.
quently, and has many more duties O@e
of them is TO act as mediatory body
when the parties do not agree upon ar
bitration. The assembly, by two-thirds
vote, can admit new members who full
fill certain conditions. If either party
desires, it can be substituted as a me-
dating body for the council. II also has
the function of pointing out inconsist-
encies between existing treaties of league
members and their obligations under the
league.
Limitation of Armaments.
"The first of the four great steps TAX
en- by the league during the maintenance
of peace is the limitation of armament
provided for in the eighth article. The
council is to consider all world arma-
ments, and with the aid Of a military
is TO determine a plan for
general reduction of ornaments and fix
the limit for each nation, member of the
league in that plan. The plan is then
submitted to the several nations for dis
cnssion and agreement. When the ma
tions have agreed to a plan, or to such
of it as they require, they
covenant to keep within the limit fixed