New-York tribune., 1920-10-20

something there, the yielding of some
things in order to avoid losing others,
the shading Of justice by expediency
which has characterized such confer
ences since history began. At the best
they were not inerrant. 1t would have
been impossible not to overlook some
things, and to make some mistakes |
have strong impression that some
OF their conclusions were mistakes.
"And | think it most Objectionable
that the American people shall enter
into solemn and positive agree
ment to guarantee and maintain
by force of arms for all time the dis
positions Of territory and sovereignty
which these four men made in the gear
1919 That is part of what Article x
undertakes to do.
"About the worst thing in the rela-
tions between nations is to make II
treaty and break it. To maintain the
faith of treaties is prime necessity
facture treaties that are to be but
scraps of paper is fatal to the moral
standards through which alone peace
can be preserved.
"We are told there is nothing in
the covenant which in the least in
terferes with or impairs the right Of
Congress to declare war or not de-
clare war according to it's own in
dependent judgment as our Constitu-
tion provides
Refusal Would Be Breach
"But, if we have entered into the
guarantee Of Article X and circum-
stances arise which require war to
make good its guaranty as describe d
by the President in his speech of May
81, 1919, then refusal of Congress to
pass the necessary resolution would be
a breach of the covenant, and the
only Independent judgment of Congress
! would be whether our government
should keep the treaty or break it,
What is the. probability of the
United States making good such a
guaranty?
Making war nowadays depends upon
the genuine sympathy of the
people of the country at the
time when they are called upon
to fight. 1t must be a cause the people
are interested in, believe in, are will
ing TO fight for and make sacrifices for
at the time. No agreement made by
any government years before will carry
the American people into war in
which they are not interested, or which
they do not at the time deem just.
There was time when governments
controlled peoples, and could make war
at will; but in these days no govern
ment of free democracy can deliver
its people upon the field of battle ex-
cept by the peoples will at that time.
1T is 81 practical certainty that if
the American government enters into
the obligations Of Article x, so posi-
tive in it's terms, SO broad in its scope,
so unlimited in its duration, the time
Will presently come Gas it has already
come swiftly to western Europe) when
the United States will be called upon
to make good its guaranty by force,
and when the people of the United
States will be unwilling to make the
sacrifice of life and treasure to carry
on war in a distant land for q cause
of which they know little, and for
which they care less. The presence
of such a stipulation in the league
weakness in the scheme, for g cove
nant violated in any material part
ceases to be enforceable.
"In all efforts to secure united ac-
tion among nations in this world of
widely differing character and opinion
and standards Of conduct and interests
merely to secure agreements which cor
respond to abstract standards of right,
but to limit agreements so that they
will not violate too suddenly and
sharply existing standards of conduct,
with the result that they are not OBJ
served and the whole agreement falls
when the peace conference met in
Paris there were two quite separate
and distinct duties before it.
"One of these duties was to determine
and impose upon the Central Powers