Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-10-20
president BLAMED
|BYROOT AS BARRING
! j. S.FROM LEAGUE
Declares Insistence OF
Treaty Unchanged Pre-
vented Ratification.

| many would nave been ratlneO, ana
America would have been member
of the league-if President Wilson
! had been willing"
| "Mr. Wilson. however. was not will
| ing. He insisted upon the treaty alb
! solutely unchanged" Mr.. Root said
| adding later on in his speech:
Il do not question Mr.. Wilson's be-
| liefS that the disposition of the treaty
! for which he was contending on May
| 81, 1919 were just and fair; but, with
| out disrespect. l do question Mr.. Will
| SON infallibility. l do question the
complete control of abstract justice
! in the processes by which the four
| men who dictated those treaties.
! which undertook to make over east
ern Europe. reached their conclusions.
Il have an impression that there
was the accommodation of conflicting
interests. the giving of something
here to get something there: the
yielding of some things in order to
avoid losing others. the shading of
justice by expediency which has char
acterized such conferences since his
tory began. I have a strong impress
sion that some of their conclusions
were mistakes.
Objects to Article Ten.
And l think it most Objectionable
that the American people shall enter
into solemn and positive agreement
to guarantee and maintain by force of
arms for all time the dispositions of
territory and sovereignty which those
four men made in the year 1919.
That is part of what article X
undertakes to do. 1t is an alliance to
enforce perpetually through the oper-
ations of the league the DECISIONS Of
Mr.. Wilson and his associates in the
year 1919. 1t is throw back to the
old discredited alliances Of the past.
1t speaks language OF power, and
not the spirit of progress. 1t is an
attempt to do what the holy alliance
sought 100 years ago with just as
noble expressions of purpose)-to i'm
pose by force the judgment of the
rulers of the present generation upon
all future generations"
Mr.. Root declared that I'VE shall
prom ote~ the peace Of the world" by
eiecting Senator Harding. republican
candidate for President, whose stand
changed from the time he voted for
ratification Of the peace treaty and
league. of nations with the Senate
reservations. The election Of Gov.
Cox. democratic presidential nominee
he said. meant the effort to have the
tions without change, as it was
brought back from Europe by Presi-
dent Wilson
After ''restating the situation" of
the league. Mr.. Root declared that it
was we'll understood in 1919 and lis
we'll understood now. that the other
parties to the treaty would have been
content to accept" the Senate reser-
vations, adding:
Changes Already Desired.
Several European nations already
nave given notice of half dozen
changes in the covenant which they
propose to urge at a meeting of the
me only reason why the changes
necessary to meet American objec-
tons have not already been consid-
cred is that Mr.. Wilson simply would
not negotiate for them"
At the outset OF his address. Mr.
Root said:
Il think large ma jority of the
American people earnestly wish for
an organization among civilized ma
tons, through which the nations shall
cooperate to prevent future wars and
that the United States shall do her
Iuii snare IN that organization. I
certainly desire this very stronely"
The plan of the league of nations
rei1ed upon the effect of four things
taken together to prevent war, Mr.
Root asserted.
Four Ways to Prevent War.
FIRST, upon delay to afford time
Tor investigation and for passions to
cool and sober judgment to prevail.
second, upon having the facts as
certained and determined and made
public to all the world, so that tba
misunderstandings and deceptions nm
der which the people of country are
SO often led to consent to war ma v
be obviated.
Third, upon having a fairly repre-.
sentative body not a party to the
dispute express publicly a responsible
controversy ought to be settled, and
thus bring to bear upon the action
OF the parties the well informed
opinion of the civilized world
Fourth. if any party to the agree
ments were to Violate it by making
war without the stipulated DELAYS
necessary for arbitration or inyesti
cation and report, or were to make
| war in violation of the unanimous
| opinion Of the other nations, then
! upon the practical outlawry of that
party from the advantages of trade,
commerce and customary intercourse
with the members Of the society of
nations, with all the consequences
flowing from such an outlawry."
Chief Objections to League.
The principal objections to the
league. Mr.. Root said, may be rough
iy classified as follows:
f.. First. Objections to the general
defensive alliance with all members
OF the league. established by article X.
! Second. Objections to submitting
to the council of the league questions
Of purely American policy, such as
the Monroe doctrine. or questions Of
immi grafton, upon which the Euro
pean countries approaching that sub
Ject from an entirely different point
of view and with opposing or diner
ent interests would almost necessa rily
differ from the American policy.
Third. That the scheme practi-
cally thrust aside the whole system
Of development Of international law
and of arbitral decision which had
been the settled policy of the United
States for many generations, and de-
pended for the treatment of question,
of right as well as questions Of policy
; upon the council. which would he
composed not of judges but of diplo
matte representatives of the powers.
! Fourth. That the scheme created
a supergovernment which would de-
stroy the independence of the United
States.
! Fifth That the working of the
plan under the covenant was not so
| arranged as 10 articulate with the
constitutional government of the
United States: that under it the
President alone could practically
icarry on the entire foreign affairs Of
| the United States by agents of his
own selection to the practical exclu
sion Of the popular branch of our
J government"
Blames President for Delay.
Mr. Wilson, in being unwilling to ac-
cept reservations to the peace treaty
| and league of nations. has left us
! practically where we stand today
| Mr.. Root said.
Mr.. Cox declares" he continued