The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1919-08-29

ION.
Senator Fall asked who would de-
fend the mandate territories against
external aggression under the league,
and the president replied that primar-
lily the duty would rest with the man
datory power.
Only through action by congress
shall the United States lend any mill
tary assistance to other members or
the League Of Nations. This was
stated emphatically by the president.
The United States is only under
moral obligations to the other nations,
the president said, declaring that the
league covenant does not in any way
detract from the power of the CON
greSs.
Asks About Other Treaties.
After the president had delivered his
statement, Senator Lodge said:
"Mr. President, so far as | am per-
sOnally concerned-and | think | rep
resent perhaps the majority of the
committee in that respective have no
thought Of entering upon arguments
as to interpretations or points of that
character; but the committee was very
DESTROYS Of getting information on GER
tain points which seem not clear and
Oh which they thought information
would be of value to have in consid-
GRAFTON Of the treaty which they, |
think | may say for myself and others,
desire to hasten in every possible way.
your reference to the necessity Of
action leads me to ask n question.
II we have to restore peace to the
world, it is necessary, | assume, that
there should be treaties with Austria,
Hungary, Turkey and Bulgaria. Those
treaties are all more or less connected
with the treaty with Germany. The
question | should like to ask is, what
the prospect is of receiving those trea-
ties for a%ctiOn?"
Senate Cause of Delay.
The President think it is very
good, sir, and so far as / can judge
from the contents of the dispatches
from my colleagues on the other side
Of the water, the chief delay is due to
the uncertainty as to what is going to
happen to this treaty. This treaty is
a model Of the others. | saw enough
Of the others before | left Paris to
know that they are being framed on
the same set of principles and the
treaty with Germany Is the model. I
think that is the chief element Of de-.
lay, sir.
Senator LOdge-They are not regard.
ed as essential to the consideration OF
this treaty?
The PreSident-They are not regard
ed as such, no sir; they follow this
treaty.
Senator Lodge do not know about
the other treaties, but the treaty with
Poland, ror example, has been com
pleted.
Treaty With Poland Signed.
The President-Yes and signed; but
it is dependent upon this treaty. My
thought was to submit it upon the ac-
ton on this treaty.
| Senator Lodge then asked whether
the pesident could show the commit,
tee the tentative League of Nations
drafts submitted by Great Britain,
France and Italy.
The PreSident-I would have sent
them to the committee with pleasure,
senator, if | had found that | had them
| took it for granted that / had them
but the papers that remain in my HANDS
remain there in Il haphazard way.
can tell you the character of the other
drafts. The British draft was the only
n as / remember that was in the
form Of a definite constitution OF q
league. The French and Italian drafts
were in the form of q series Of prOpO-
sitions laying down general rules and
assuming that t he commission, OF
whatever body made the final formula.
tons would build upon those princi.
pies if they were adopted. They were
principles quite consistent with the
final action.
At Liberty to Interpret.
In reply to Senator McCumber the
president repeated that he felt it would
be a mistake to embody %interpreta,
tons in the resolution of ratification
saying: "We can interpret only q
moral obligation. The legal obligation
can be enforced by such machinery as
there is to enforce it. We are therefore
at liberty to interpret the sense in
which we undertake a moral obliga-
ton"
Senator McCumber asked whether
the other nations could not accept in.
terpretations by the senate "by acuui-
%eScence."
The President-My experience as a
lawyer was not very long, but that PIX
perience would teach me that the Ian.
guage Of Il contract is always part of
the debatable matter, and l can testi.
fly that in u discussions in the com
mission on the League of Nations we
did not discuss ideas half as much as
WE discussed p~hraseolOgy.
The president said If reservations
were embodied i'm the ratification
there would have to be either explicit
acQuiescence or the elapsing Of a long
enough time for us to know whether