The Mena weekly star. (Mena, Ark.) 1904-1977, 1919-08-21
MANY PROVISIONS
| FORWARINLEAGUE
senator Lodge of Massachusetts, Dec
Inmates II as a @Deformed Expert
-ent Upon a Noble Purpose
~. S. Is Worlds Best Hope"

washington, Aug. 12.-Describing
the League of Nations as reformed
experiment upon noble purpose"
Senator Lodge of Massachusetts,,
chairman of the foreign relations COM
mittee and Republican leader of the
Senate. declared in Senate speech to-
aav that there were features of the
league covenant which ."as an Ameri-
can" he never could accept.
Creating, not a league of peace,
but an alliance embracing many "pro-
visions for war;" the covenant in its
present form, he asserted, would kill
the Monroe Doctrine, nullify any pos
sibility of withdrawal from member
ship, impair the sovereign power of de-
Gliding domestic questions, and plunge
"the United States into every contro-
yersy and conflict on the face of the
globe"
A Note of Warning.
"Let us beware" he said, chow we
palter with our independence. We
forced our way upward from the days
of the revolution, thru world often
hostile and always Indifferent. We
owe no debt to anyone except to
France in our Revolution and those
policies and those rights on which our
power has been founded should never
be lessened or weakened.
81 am as anxious as any human be-
ing can be to have the United States
render every possible service to the
civilization and the peace of mankind
but / am certain we can do it best by
not putting ourselves in leading
strings or subjecting our policies and
our sovereignty to other nations.
~ can never be anything else but
an American and must think of the
United States, and when think of the
United States first in an arrangement
like this am thinking of what is best
for the world, for if the United States
fails the best hopes of mankind fail
with it. / have never had but one
allegiance cannot divide it now.
The Worlds Best Hope.
"The United States is the worlds
best hope, but if you fetter her in the
interests and quarrels of other ma
tons; if you tangle her in the in
trigues Of Europe, you will destroy
her power for good and endanger her
very existence.
eve are told that we shall break
the heart of the world if we do not
take this league just as it stands.
fear that the hearts of the vast ma
jority of mankind would beat on
strongly and steadily and without any
quickening if the league were to per-
ish altogether If it should be effect
lively and benefcially changed, the
people who would lie awake in sor-
row for a single night could be easily
gathered in one not very large room,
but those who would draw a long
breath of relief would reach to mil
lions.
ideals have been thrust upon US as
an argument for the league until the
healthy mind which rejects cant, re-
volts from them Are ideals confined
to this deformed experiment upon a
noble purpose tainted as it is, with
bargains and tied to a peace treaty
which might have been disposed of
long ago to the great benefit of the
world if it had not been compelled to
carry this rider on its back?
mo doubt many excellent and patri-
otto people see coming fulfillment of
noble ideals in the words league for
peace We all respect and share these
aspirations and desires, but some of
US see no hope, but rather defeat, for
them in this murky covenant.
$50 far as the question of isolation
goes, it is impossible to isolate the
United States. But there is wide
difference between taking a suitable
part and bearing a due responsibility
in world affairs and plunging the
United States into every controversy
and conflict on the face of the globe"
In Article 10 the United States is
bound on the appeal of any member of
the league not only to respect but to
preserve its independence and its
boundaries, and that pledge, if we
give it, must be fulfilled. There is to
me no distinction whatever in treaty
between what some persons are
pleased to call legal and moral obli-
cations. A treaty rests and must rest,
except where it is supposed under dur
ess and securities and hostages are
taken for its fulfillment, upon moral
obligations. The pathway of dishonr
is always open. But whatever the
United States agrees to, by that
agreement she must abide.
eff the United States or any other
great country should refuse, no mat
ter how specious the reasons, to full
fill both the letter and spirit of every
obligation in this covenant, the United
States would be dishonored and the
league would crumble into dust, leav-
ing behind it legacy of wars"
Quoting a press report that Bedou-
ms were attacking the Kingdom of
Hedjaz, the senator pointed out that
Hedjaz was member of the league
whose integrity the United States
would guarantee to preserve from ex-
ternal aggression under the covenant