The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-02-19
AMERICA HAS NO
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honor and even the independence of
the nations.
Third-The commitment of each
member of the league, including the
United States, if 1t should become a.
member, to participate in the war and
controversies of every other nation and
to assume the general guardianship of
various peoples in Europe, Asia
and Africa
Fourth-The participation by the
league, thru an international bureau
of labor, in the domestic, social, eco
nome and industrial problems. both in
their own countries and in all coun-
tries to which their commercial and
Industrial relations extend.
Fifth-The surrender by the United
States to the other members of the
league of the power vested in congress
by the constitution to regulate COM
merce with foreign nations in arms
and ammunition.
His Criticism of League.
: Vague and loosely drawn was
Poindexter's criticism~of various pro-
visions. He said that with the leagues
executive council subject to constant
change in personnel no nation can tell
what, Interpretation might be made of
provisions.
Disregardig entirely Washington's
warning against entangling alliance,
the American government now pro-
poses to enter the most entangling al
lance ever conceived, Poindexter said,
and added:
I'm adopting or rejecting this con-
stitution and thereby becoming or not
becoming a member of the league eS-
tablished under it, the government
and people of the United States will
determine whether they are to remain
the great sovereign and independent
nation with the most complete self
government ever devised by man and
the highest functions of citizenship
ever enjoyed; a people controlling
their own destiny, determining for
themselves. thru their constitute It gov
ernment, the extent of their military
eparations, the size of their armies
and navies, maintaining peace and am
ity with world during the greater part
Of their career, establishing for them
selves their international relations.s or
whether they are to merge their des-
TIMES with those of the other nations
of the world. share their burdens. par
ticipate in their quarre1s and become a
party to all the international compli-
cations arising from diversity of race
and language and frorp conflict of in
terests of the various peoples of Asia,
Africa anu Europe.
- Surrender High Functions.
care veto surrender to an interna-
tiopal council and body OF delegate ties
those highs functions of sovereignty
which heretofore We have exercised
for ourselves and vest in the jurisdic-
ton of an International league the de-
termination of our armament, the deci-
sion of peace or of war, even in the
most vital questions, affecting our ma
tionaf honor, integrity or material
welfare?
I'm other words. once We have en-
tered into this fatal covenant our fail
,frA n he of a lea OH
or of tribunals constituted under the
terms Of its constitution, automatically
makes us an outcast and a paria h
among the nations of the world and
plunges US into state of war with all
the other nations composing the
league. And this is the frightful com
pact we are asked to make to surren-
der our destinieS to the league with the
awful penalty of immediate war upon
us by all the combined nations COM
posing its membership, should we de-
cline in any respect 20 obey the de-
crees of the league, however destruc-
tive they may be of our happiness or
prosperity.
1t Is a Poor Substitute.
This is the substitute we are asked
to make for the peaceful and happy
state under which we have lived during
the greater part of our national life
; in peace and amity with the world
We are now asked to avoid war by
multiplying UNNECESSARILY the cause OF
war and by surrendering to a hetero-
geneous league of diverse races our
sovereign rights and privileges. By
such a course. the independence which
was preserved by the patriotism of our
people and the heroism of our soldiers
in the fighting which has just been
concluded will be Surrendered and the
guarantees of peace which victory has
afforded will be mortgaged
to every nation in the world
Poindexter referred bitterly to the
fact that the south is in the saddle
and having failed in it's great effort for
independence in 1855, having now
obtained control of the government OF
the union, is to have the sardonic
triumph of depriving the north of its
independence and setting up over it
a super-government. The north con-
quered the south by force of arms:
the south now~seems to be in a fair
way of conquering the north by diplo-
matte surrender of its liberties"
He referred to the situation in Mexi-
co, to Russia, and to the general unrest
thruout the world and declared that if
the league" which beat Germany
would apply it's force to settling these
questions, it would do greater good
than by forcing nations to surrender
| their national rights.
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