Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1919-05-22

other words, all these propositions are
nothing but conditional ratification on the
basis of radical amendments, and they
all Will postpone indefinitely the coming
| OF peace. Meantime the other great
! powers. under the terms of the treaty
as they are now reported, can ratify the
treaty and establish peace with Ger
many as far as they are concerned. In
this way the anomalous condition will
be presented of a state of war between
Germany and ourselves, while peace pre-
walls between Germany and Great
Britain, Germany and France. Germany
and Italy and Germany and Japan. This
| obviously disadvantageous condition for
our industries and this delay in the re-
| sumption of our trade with Germany
! should make the business community of
the United States scrutinize with care
the reasons for substantially amending
the covenant or attempting to dissect
it out of the treaty. OF 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 re-
| Jected, at whatever cost of Inconvenience
| or delay. But the necessary halt in the
coming of that era of prosperity which
merely awaits permanent peace and tho
losses which ii 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
its 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 especially
true in view of the amendment to the
covenant as first reported. by which
should we find after ratification and
actual 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 Il majority of all
the members of the league, n means of
changing provisions which prove to be
burdensome, which will enable the per-
fecting of the league as experience shall
require.
A phase of the discussion of the league
has been the tendency to concentrate it
on particular features or articles thought
to be dangerous and to omit the pre-
sentation of the general organization of
the league and its great and useful ma
chinery for rendering war improbable and
making peace reasonably permanent.
] 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. 1t is not that
kind of league, however effective such d
league might be. The covenant is an
agreement for cooperation by members
of the league to achieve it's purpose. The
members are themselves to act and to
delegate to no other body the power to
act for them. They are to act through
their constitutional agencies. With US, if
a boycott is to be levied, it is for Con-
gress to decide whether this obligation
has arisen under the treaty and covenant
and then to levy the necessary embargo
If military forces are to be used, it is
for Congress to determine whether they
| 1n
organization and use. If armament is tc
J 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 r
the organization of the league. One is
the council of nine members, five of then
to be representatives of the five great
powers, the United States, the British
Empire, France, Italy and japan. ant
four of them to represent four other
powers selected by the assembly The
assembly consists of representatives OF
all the members of the league. F,acf
, country may have from one to three
delegates, but can only cast one vote
The function of the council is advisory
and recomm endatory in respect to all III,
functions of the league. 1t is the agenc,
through which members of the leagu,
, are ADVISED OF the state OF affairS, ant
through which they can agree upoi
cooperation. 1t is more active bod,
than the assembly and meets more fire
quently, and has many more duties. on
of them is to act as n medatory bod,
when the parties do not agree upon arbtra
ton. The assembly, by two-thirds vote
can admit new members who fulfill Ger
, tain conditions. If either party desires,
can be substituted a mediating bod.
for the council, 1t also has the function
OF pointing out Inconsistencies between
existing treaties of league members AM
their obligations under the league
The first of the four great steps takei
by the league during the maintenance o
=, peace is the limitation of armament pro
vided for in the eighth article. The coun
Gil is to consider all world armaments
and with the aid of a military commission
Is to determine a plan for a general re
duction of ornaments and fix the the lmi
Tor each nation, member of the league il
that plan The plan is then submitted L
the several nations for discussion AM
u agreement. When the nations have agree
y 10 plan, or to such amendments of 1t a
they require, the covenant to keep withi
the limit fixed and agreed upon for pc
Rod of ten years unless the council in
creases the limit in view of changed con
ditions.
The Importance of this provision canno
. be overstated in securing peace. TIL
. chief factor in bringing the world into thi