The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1920-10-28

EDITOR EVENING HERALD;
I have been asked by a number of persons to make a public
statement of my views on the Wilson League of Nations. l have
|hesitated to do so on account Of the difficulty of bringing such a
statement within the compass of a newspaper article. / think
it only fair to state my past attitude on the general subject. My
father ives an ardent democrat and l was born and reared as such
in the state of Ohio. ! have never owned allegiance to any other
political party, although 1 must admit that the autocratic-socialhti
administration of President Wilson has greatly shaken my faith in
that party.
In 1883 as a graduate of the Van Vert, Ohio high school, the
subject of my valedietory was An International Court Of Justice. -
i have always been in favor of substituting such means to avoid
war. | was a member of the League to Enforce Peace of which Mr..
Notwithstanding my lifetime attitude upon this subject, am
utterly opposed to the Wilson League of Nations for the follow.
ing reasons;
We boast Of ours as a government of law and not of man. We mean
that rules of law determine our rights and our guilt or innocence
prospective and not retroactive. Our Legislative bodies enact the laws,
our courts determine the guilt or innocence of persons charged with
Under the proposed League of Nations there is to be an assem-
bly, and a council that shall be vested with power, without established
offending nation. The punishment or discipline for one nation might
be entirely different from that applied to another nation for the
same act. II has always been recognized as a fundamental prin-
cipal that the combination of the power to legislate, fix the penalty
and enforce the punishment in a single body of men is tyranny and not
2 Because the proposed League is intricate, technical calculated
to deceive the casual reader as to its meaning and TO cause misun.
derstandings and war.
3. Because the proposed League would destroy the sovereignty
of the United States. II proposes to deprive the congress of the
United States of its constitutional power to declare or refuse to de-
clare war and vest that power in the assembly and council of the
proposed League The power to consider and. determine national
Can any patriotic citizen advocate such disasterG That this is the
effect Of the proposed League is clear.
Article 10 provides;
''The members Of the League undertake to respect and preserve
as against external aggression the territorial integrity and existing
political independence Of all members of the league. In case Of any
such aggression, or in case Of any threat or danger of such aggres.
sion, the council shall advise upon the means by which this obligation
shall be fulfilled"
Article eight provides
THE members of the League recognize that the maintenance
OF peace requires the reduction of national ornaments to the lowest
consistent with national safety, and the enforcement by common
action Of international obligations
Article IL provides that in the event OF any failure to carry out
such an award the council shall propOse what stems should be taken,
10 give effect thereto.
Article 16 provides;
Should any member Of the League resort to war in disregard
Of its covenants" . Q . @ o . @It shall be the duty Of the
council in such case to recommend to the several governments con
cerned what effective military, naval or air forces the members Of
the League shall severaIly contribute 10 the armed force to be used
TO protect the covenants of the League" 1.-THE members of the
League agree further that they will mutually support one another
in the financial and economical measures taken under this article. /"
IT is clear that the United States, as a member Of the proposed
would be bound to contribute armed forces N demand of
the league and also to contribute financial aid to other members of
the League at war.