Evening journal., 1919-04-30

are the subject matters Of innumerable
treaties. When it sent Commodore
Perry TO Japan our government said
Japan could not follow a policy Of ex-
clusiveness. A similar doctrine not lone
ago was followed by Great Britain with
respect to hermit Tibet Today the
japanese plead international,law against
discriminatory exclusion. No author
ity pretends to say what international
law permits or forblds, and to imply
that 1t does It grossly deceptive.
The fourth amendment. mentioning
the Monroe Doctrine, is plainly q fraud
Nothing. lt Is said. shall affect the valid
/ ity OF regional understanding Ike the
Monroe Doctrine FOR securing the MAIN
tenance OF peace" The Monroe Doc
trine IS not a regional understanding
nor Is IL primarily TO maintain peace.
II was proclaimed by this nation act
| ing alone and has been objected 20 by
American countries, the latest protest
coming the other day from Mexico. II
was proclaimed, not TO promote peace
but to enable the United states to pro
| tect herself against war. We ordered
/ Europe 90 stay away. The Doctrine S
basis Is thus the same as that which
supports ltalys claims 10 the Easte,u
| Adrlatic and French claims for Rhine
brldgeheads. We feared dangerous
neighbOrs. such is the Monroe Doc
trine, as every American schoolboy
knows.
Passing TO other matters, It appears
that iniqultous Article X, which guar
antees all existing national boundaries,
remains unchanged The world is TO
be placed in a straltaeket, the status
quo frozen; there is sin against Tie
Holy Ghost Of developing liberty. II
the article had been the law in t776
Rochambeau and Lafayette could have
been asked to fight against us-would
have been forbidden TO fight for
us. II the law in 1898, Cuba, the Phil
ippines and Porto Rico would still be
Spanish possessions, and II the law in
1905. Colombia could have prevented
the digg Of the Panama Canal and
the people Of Panama could have been
helpless against outrages arbitrary
power. Article X forbids wholesome
political change, and alone furnishes
reason why the covenant should be
unratifed.
Information is at last furnished as to
the membership OF the league. The
Assembly. or lower house, wherein
each member is to have one vote and
which is to elect four OF the nine mem
bers Of the executive council, IS TO con-
sist Of forty-nve nations and colonies.
OF these, seven, each with a vote, are
under the British flag, while the United
states and other great nations will have
but one vote each. Were the British
representatives disposed TO play poll
tics they could put through any slate
pleasing to them, thus securing, with
the charter member vote permanently
assigned to Britain, control Of five out
Of the nine council votes. Britain may
be acquitted Of any present purpose TO
misuse power, but the future cannot
be foreseen.
1t is true. as indicated above, no con-
troll over actual physical power inhercs
in the council. Not only does the un-
animity rule prevent coercion except
by universal consent, but, so far as
concerns the nine nations represented
on the council, the delegates will be
ambassadors. named by their home gov
.ernments and responsive to their or
ders. The council Is thus a mere asem-
blage Of ambassadors, and there is no
basic Institutional change in diplomatic
method. The small nations, unrepre-
sented by ambassadors sitting IL tn
Council, will occupy a lower level, ami
not even IN theory win there be na-
tlonal equality.
But in the instrument taken as
whole there IS some moral power,
some implied obligation; this country,
under some circumstances, would face
the alternative Of doing as we were
ordered or being accused Of breaking
faith. As long as Article X Is in the
covenant we may not agree or seem TO
agree 20 make even q gesture. We may
not I'm the dimmest ink underwrite the
existent world. Metternich's alliance
sought IN like manner to keep every
people under its Legitimate" govern
ment, and America will no longer be
America II It gives the faintest moral
support 20 such a doctrine.
The new version Of the covenant, like
the old, is Objectionable 70 both inter-
nationalists and nationallsts. II pre-
tends 10 do something for peace, and
does practically nothing. It's authors
appear more interested In seeming TO do
something than IN doing anything
They have given birth to a great hoax,
and apparently think that people can
be made TO believe that a pastlng OF
the label League OF Peace" on their
concoction makes it as labelled To at
tempt 10 capitalize in this deceptive
manner the great hope Of the world Is
a cllmacteric Of humbuggery to which
history furnishes no narallel