New-York tribune., 1920-07-21
William Howard Taft
Discusses
Democrats and the Treaty

|, mere pleonnsm to use the words "or to
interfere in controversial: between ma
tions under Article x, as in this reser-
vation. In the reservation as to Article
X adopted by the Republicans and
voted on in February last the form is
changed somewhat from that of Novem
Der, 1919, in order to particularize the
United States will not obligate itself,
namely, neither "bv the use of it's
military or naval forces, its resources IS
or any form of economic descrimina-
tion," and to emphasize the full discre-
tion reserved to Congress to act or not
under Article x by use of the phrase
"ln the exercise of full liberty of ac-
ton" In other words, both these
forms of reservations completely de-
tion of the United States to the other
members of the league to join in main
tanning their integrity or independence
when attacked and left it wholly to
Congress- discretion to act, or not.
But the Democrats went quite as far.
Mr.. Hitchcock, speaking for forty
Democratic Senators-all but seven Of
the whole mber-agreed to support
either one of two reservations as to
Article x. The first one was as fol-
lows,
The United States assumes no OBJ
legation to employ its military or
naval forces or the economic boy
colt to preserve the territorial in
tegrlty or political independence of
any other country under the provi-
sions Of Article x, or to employ the
military or naval forces of the United
States under any other article of the
treaty for any purpose unless in any
particular case the Congress, which
under the constitution has the sole
lower tc declare war, shall by set or
joint resolution so provide. Nothing
herein shall be deemed to impair the
obligation in Article XVI concerning
the economic boycott.
The only difference between this res
elvation and those supported by the
Republicans is that, in the later Re-
publican form, use of resources, in
addition to that of the army, the navy
and boycott, is expressly refused. In
other respects there is no difference
The other reservation offered by the
Democrats in the alternative was even
more sweeping. 1t was as follows:
The United States decline to as
sumo any legal or binding obligation
to preserve the territorial integrity
or political independence of any other
country under the provisions of Ar
ticle x or to employ the military or
naval forces of the United States
any purpose; but the Congress,
which under the constitution has the
sole power in the premises, will con-
slider and decide what moral obliga-
ton, if any, under the circumstances
arises, should move the United
States in the interest of world peace
and justice to take action therein and
act accordingly.
This reservation destroys the obliga-
Non of the United States under Article
as fully and completely as either of
the Republican reservations and leaves
the whole question of the duty of the
United States to Congress when the
case arises.
In other words, all these reserva-
tons, Republican and Democratic, do
the same thing; they take the obliga-
ton out of Article x, so far as the
United States is concerned, and have
the whole matter to Congress when
called upon. Indeed, it is hardly too
much to say that ten or twenty years
hence the senators who disputed over
these will find much difficulty, unless
their memories are refreshed, in say
ing which particular reservations they
respectively supported. The forty
Democrats who offered and signed
these reservations were the orthodox
Administration Democrats. Seventeen
of them voted for the Republican res
ervations the second time and, includ-
ing other Democrats not so orthodox,
they gave twenty-three for ratification
with the Republican reservations 1t
to these are added Messrs. Reed and
Shields, who are "Bitter- Enders," we
have majority Of the Democrats in
favor of the Republican reservations,
and all of them supporting reservations
substantially equivalent.
President Opposed Both
The President by his published notes
and action showed himself as much op-
posed to these Democratic reservations
as to those of the Republicans. He it
was who called back enough of the
faithful to unite with the Glitter End
ers to beat ratification. His action in
yxuu,