Iron County record. [volume] (Cedar City, Utah) 1893-1982, 1919-08-29
Sen. Smoot' S Letter
on League Nations
Calls Attention to Unjust Dcr mnaton in Matter of Represen
tation, and Shows How May be Means of Precipitang
War Instead of Preventing It, Unless Modified by Senate

The founders Of the Republic beloved
that they had devised the most perfect
system Of government possible to man.
They were convinced that liberty and
legal equality were sufficient to pro-
duce human happiness, and they look
ed back to old Europe, rendered mis-
cradle by caste, privilege and other
forms of governmental interference
with the rights of man. 1t was a
nightmare from which they had
escaped, and of which they did not
wish to be reminded. Isolation seemed
their only safety until such time as
the peoples of other lands should
copy the American institutions and
share in American felicity. Only a
casual reading, not only of the liter
eture of the first years of the Repub-
lie, but Of the forties and fifties of
the nineteenth century, is needed to
show that the faith that we were pol
itically centuries ahead of Europe was
early and deeply implanted in the
hearts Of the American people; and
with this faith went the conviction
that we must be on our guard against
the advances Of the medieval govern
ments on the other side Of the water.
In the hearts Of the people this SEN
timent of Americanism, as an inim-
liable ideal, has never died out, and,
for the future welfare and preserv-
alton Of America, pray it never will.
Let us, by our example, our patriot
ism, our love Of country, our willing
ness to fight for righteousness and
against evil, for liberty and against
autocracy, Americanize Europe, ra-
Their than, under the League, Europ-
eanize America.
Faith in People and Government.
! have absolute faith in the Amer
lean people, and their undying faith
in their form of government, and l
do not believe the American people
will be content to surrender their
birthright in return for a world gov
eminent that will be two and three
quarters per cent American. Do you
or the people ut home believe that, as
soon as normal conditions return and
when every nation will be struggling
to secure the commerce Of the world,
passing laws to protect the interest
OF its own .cititen = against the
silance of the world, when petty
jealousies will arise, and race hatred
is in flame, that the two and three
quarters per cent American can die
tate or control the warning ninety
seven and one quarter per cent?
The world is sick of war today, and
the nations. most of them are on the
verge of bankruptcy. All this, how.
ever, will be changed sometime in the
future, For a decade to come, the
League may not involve us in serious
trouble, but what is decade in the
life Of nation?
You know that, under our Consti.
tuition, the President and the Senate
have no power to delegate to a Coun.
ell or Assembly the conduct of the
foreign relations of our Government
The President and the Senate have
their respective spheres of authority
and, under the Constitution, cannot
pass beyond. Combined, they have
been clothed with the treaty-makine
power, but this power is clearly de,
fined. 1t is an absurdity to hold that
treaty can be made which would
abolish the sovereignty Of the United
States, or transfer any part of that
sovereignty to a League of Nations
Your position as an editor of s
public journal, and your duty as {
citizen of this country require you t.
think for yourself on this question
without passion, without craftsmanship
and without regard to what any Other
individual might think or say, but al
ways with the thought in mind as t
what effect it will have upon our coun
try. want you to dip into and stud!
this subject, for it concerns the futur,
independence and freedom of ou'
country.
Necessary Reservations to Covenant.
now call your attention to the re
servations which, have concluded
must be made to the Covenant.
take it for granted that you your
self will admit that the Monroe Doc
trine is essentially a national policy
whose application and enforcement
must be determined by the Unitet
States alone. l shall vote for re
servation to make this clear; the pres
ent form of government does not.
| take it for granted that you will
admit that internal questions, entirel.
domestic in character, such as imigra
ton and the tariff, are to be deter
mined solely by the country in which
they arise. The present form of tn,