The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1919-03-01
SAVE AMERICA
FROM INTRIGUE
New World Organization Is
Proposed by Senator
Knox
LEAGUE OF NATIONS
WAS ASSATLED
Speaker Declares Covenant
Sanctions, Breeds and
Commands War"

Washington, D. c., March l.-Senator
Knox OF Pennsylvania, former secretary
of state, speaking to-day in the Senate,
assailed the league of nations as striking
down American constitutional principles
and proposed new world organization
which, he said, would preserve the Mon
roe doctrine and saye America from the
results Of European intrigue and aggres-
SION"
Senator Knox, who attended the White
House dinner conference last Wednesday
with other members of the Senate for
eign relations committee, said the consti-
tuition Of the league as presented to the
peace conference Sanctions, breeds and
commands war" and after critieizing va
rious clauses of the document, asked;
why this feverish anxiety for the
adoption of this plan? Why this racing
up and down the land by propagandists
urging its adoption? What benefit is to
come from such sale of the country as
is urged upon us? Who are the bene-
ticiaries of this betrayal of our people"
The Pennsylvania senator said that if
the people of the United States desired
what he termed a real league of nations
to prevent war and mot merely build a
coalition to further trade or preserve and
expand territorial possessions" it might
be secured through the formation of an
international organization comprising
the nations of the world.
Senator Knox said the constitution of
such an international coalition should
. primarily declare war an international
crime and stipulate that any nation en-
gaging in it except in elf-defense be
punished by the world as an information
al criminal. He also suggested that the
constitution provide that international
disputes be decided by an international
court according to an international code
defining war; that no nation could sum-
mon another before the court unless the
subject under discussion was of common
concern to the contending nations and
that jurisdiction of the court not extend
to matters of governmental policy.
Under such a code, the senator de-
clared, America would not, as in event
the present plan for a league of nations
would be called upon to arbitrate 1.-THE
policy involved in the Monroe doctrine,
our conservation policy, our immigration
policy, our right to expel aliens, our
right to repel invasion and to maintain
military and naval establishments, our
right to make necessary Notifications of
the Panama canal or on our frontiers,
ard our right to discriminate between
natives and foreigners in respect to
rights of property and citizenship"
Among other suggestions for the con-
stituton, he said it should provide that
the countries Of the two hemispheres be
called upon TO enforce DEGREES of the in
ternational court only in their respective
hemispheres,
"A league framed on these broad
lines" he continued, would carry with
it a minimum loss of our sovereignty,
would relieve us from participation in
the brOils of Europe; would preserve the
Monroe doctrine and would save America
from the results of European intrigue
and aggression"
Tn opening his address, Senator Knox
said he wished it understood he had not
secured negative conclusions in regard to
the constitution of the proposed league
through unfriendiness of bias. He said
he was against war even to the extent
of seeing the United States make the
uIhupSt Hdtil poo9Abtt5 bub ehdt hC
wanted to feel sure that when the offer
ing of the United States had been placed
upon the altar and burned this country
should have measurably and proportion
ately advanced the cause of human liber
ty and happiness.
Referring to the proposed constitution
of the league of nations, he first crit
icized it for "looseness of expression"
which, he said, characterized it through
out and then because it appeared to set
up two operating entities for its enforce
ment, the high contracting parties" and
the league itself, In this connection he
said the importance of this became APP
parent when it was observed that "the
high contracting parties" did not COM
prise every member state in the league
and that, therefore, "the burden assumed
by the high contracting parties, whoever
they may be, possibly the big tive,' is
crushing in its weight"
The senator warned especially against
-------=--------------.---- "