The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1919-07-10
LEAGUE CHANGES
in COMPACT
Senator Root Would Protect Ameri-
can Rights by Three Changes.

Elihu Root, former Secretary OF
State and former United States SEN
ator, in a letter written to Senator
Lodge, under date of June 10, and
made public, mapped out program
for those opposed to the proposed
league of nations as part and parcel
of the peace treaty, and supplies tex
tually the kind of reservations upon
which he believes the Senate should
insist.
Mr.. Root gives his unqualified ap-
proval to the proposed separation of
the peace terms and the league of ma
tons covenant, as proposed in the
Knox resolution. His letter points out
concretely and with definiteness
about which there can be no possible
ambiguity exactly what the Senate
should do in the exercise of its powers
under the Constitution, and precisely
how it should do it.
Mr.. Root provides three distinct res
ervations Article x, which pledges
the United States to aid in policing
the world and maintaining territorial
integrity and political independence of
all members through armed forces, if
required, he advises should be reject
ed. In discussing this article the sena-
tor emphasizes the foreign origin Of
the whole league scheme when he
points out that Article X was not in
Guided in Gen. SHUTS plan, "the pro-
visions of which have been reproduced
almost textually in the league coven-
ant"
The other two reservations relate to
the Monroe doctrine and the right of
governments to withdraw from the
league.
The reservation on the latter, as
submitted by the senator, would re-
tain in this government the right to
withdraw upon two years notice with
out hindrance on the part of the claims
or finding on the part of the league
that the United States had not fulfill
ed its obligations under the covenant.
With respect to the Monroe doctrine
the Senate should agree to ratifica-
ton with the understanding that
nothing in the covenant may be con-
strued to imply a REIMBURSEMENT by
this country "of its traditional atti-
tude toward purely American ques-
tons, or to require the submission of
its policy regarding questions which
it deems to be purely American ques-
tons to the decision or recommended /
ton of other powers"
Senator Root points out that "there
is in the covenant great deal of very
high value, which the world ought not
to lose" He discusses conditions in
Europe as the result of the war, and
then asks and answers for himself
the question, "Under these circum-
stances what ought to be done?"
Senator Root answers:
~ am clear that if the covenant has
to be considered with the peace terms
the Senate ought to include
in its resolution of consent to the rati- {
fication an expression of such reserva-
lions and understandings as will cure
so far as possible the defects which !;
have pointed out. You will probably
De unable to do anything about the
system of arbitration and the develop
nent of international law. You can, i
put into the resolution of 7
consent a reservation refusing to :
lgree to article X, and think you 4
should do so; you can clarity the a
meaning of the withdrawal article and
,ou can also include in your resolu- Il
ion the substance of the third amend .
nent, which proposed in my letter to g
dr. Hays of March 20, relating to 6
urely American questions, and 1 .
hink you should do So" s