New-York tribune., 1920-10-15

Tue case OF territories and
popuia.fons just annexed by Serbia
s.o win 1T constituting the new state
y. Sugo-Siavia, but also in the case
OF. Serbian territories which had been
serbian before the war
Ihe chief protest on this question
9t minorlties, however, was made by
Draelano, tor Rumania He said in sub
stance that his nation was ready to ac-
sept any provision in the covenant of
the League of Nations or in any treaty
whlcn bestowed upon the League Of
NHsions the authority to intervene on
oenali OF any minority in any country.
ms TWO objections to the pending
proposal were, first, that it was not
the League of Nations, but four great
powers which were vested with this
power, and secondly, although France.
Italy and Great Britain had all ac-
quireo territories under the new treaty
as consequence of victory, and al
.noueh there were minorities in all Of
.hese countries, there was no proposal
INA. any nation, big or little, should
have the right to Intervene IN these
| cases "
he pointed out with great apposite-
ness that Italy, in annexing the Bren-
her region, an annexation which he
recognized as warranted. thus included
"i'nlh ner new frontiers MANY thou
s""os OF German-speaking peoples But
20 project this minority the League of
Nations would have no power to inter-
vene. Inc implication of his argument
an. ana mat OF Trumbitch was plain that
.he smaller powers were unwilling to
have their sovereignty invaded by the
larger unless the larger powers were
"li'ing to give the League of Nations a
similar right IN their own premises.
Wilson Makes Ren1v
But such right would have author
lzed the League of Nations to inter
vene on behalf of the negro in the
united States, of the Irish and the
egyptians. as we'll as the British In
dlans IN the case of the British EN-
pre- and Of the minority of loyal Ger
man SUBJ Jects who had migrated to Al
SAGE Lorraine, following the German
conquest, and found themselves now
transferred to French rule. In the
same way the same authority would
rest in the League of Nations to inter
TTene on behalf of the Germans and
olavs annexed by Italy as a conse-
quence of the recent victory
10 these arguments MIR. Wilson pres
entity replied. He had to meet pri-
marlly the argument that the small
states were being Disseminated against
py the large and Justify the claim of
the larger states to intervene on be-
haif OF the minorities in the smaller
he did 1t by declaring that the larger
states would have to bear the burden
OF maintaining the situation created
by the new treaties, as they had borne
the larger burdens Of the recent war
he lad particular emphasis upon the
fact that all of the smaller states, as a
result OF the war, were to harvest vast
gains IN territories, population and
wealth.
And it was in this connection, as the
transcript Of the official record which
|. reprinted disclosed, that he made
the historic declaration that if the
peace OF the world should be troubled
IN the future and the conditions all
present regarded as fundamental called
INTO question once more, the United
States, in conformity with the guaran-
~ gwen in the covenant of the League
OF Nations, would make its armies and
fleets pass the ocean once more.
That is, Mr.. Wilson sought to per
suade the smaller states to accept the
tute!age Of the larger, to recognize the
right OF the larger to intervene in their
affairs by emphasizing the fact that the
efforts of the larger states had already
/ brought great gains to the smaller, and
for the future, the force of the larger
would remain the single guaranty for
the lesser against new attacks.
Extemporized Contribution
I dwell upon these circumstances
now because it is essential to indicate
that the Presidents utterance was not
a set speech, not a prepared declara-
| ton, but an eXtemporized contribution
thrown out in moment Of great ten
sion in the hope Of quietng the indig-
/ q q Ia at
ing their representatives of the larger
benefits they were deriving from the
treaty and the comparative insignifi-
cance of the conditions which were at
tached to this great profit
In this the President failed The
Rumanians flatlv refused to consent
to permit the great powers to assert a
| right to establish a super sovereignty,
both Serbia and Rumania left the peace
healed, long after Mr.. Wilson went
home, by the practical surrender by
the remaining great powers Of all pre-
! tey SION to -dch interference
Moreover, it should be stated that it
was President Wilson who was most
insistent upon this point, influenced
as he was by the advice of many promi-
in Paris at that time and were justly
concerned for their race-brothers in
Rumania.
Now my transcript Of the official
record set forth the whole extent of
this debate and has attached to it the
several memoranda presented by the
smaller states concerned. I published d
only the Presidents words because, at
the time they were all that were OF in
terest to an American audience and
later returned the transcript at the re-
quest of the friend who had lent it.
All of the circumstances combined
to convince me Of it's authenticity, sub
ject, as l said at the timE, to the in
evitable errors incident to translation
from English into French and ther
from French back to English.
Presidents Only Hope
But. whereas the portions Of the
speech published by me were seizee
upon by the Presidents opponents II
the Senate TO justify their opposition
to the Treaty of Versailles, the docu
ment itself was placed in my hand'
by European interested in establish
ing the idea that in Paris the. Ameri
can President had championed the righ
of the great powers to invade th
sovereignty of the lesser; and the mar
who gave me my copy had not the re
motest idea of the issue of super
sovereignty which had been raise
against the League of Nations IN tn
United States Senate.