The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1920-10-22
ROOT ANSWERS
COX'S REQUEST
Had Not Heard of Any Change
in Governors Complete
Accord With Wilson.

New York, Oct 21.-Elihu Root to-
night made public the following tele-
gram to Governor Cox. replying to his
request to correct an alleged false
statement in Mr.. Roots New York
address Tuesday regarding the COVER
nor's position on the League of Ma
tions:
Il have today received your tele-
gram dated yesterday. 1 would not
willingly do you an injustice, and /
do not think l have. You began your
campaign by an interview with the
president and an authoritative state
ment that you and he were in COM
plete accord upon the league of ma
tions. l cannot be mistaken about his
position. Throughout the long strug-
gle in the senate he steadfastly re-
fused to give his assent to any reser-
walton which substantially changed
the covenant as he brought it back.
He certainly has not changed. His
very recent utterances show that. II
you have changed from that COM
plete accord with him, / have not
heard of it. Such change is not in
dicated by the vague and general ex-
pressions of your kilograms saying
that you will accept reservations that
will clarity. that will be helpful, that
that you would sit down with the
members of the senate, that you
would confer with hr. Wilson, Mr..
Taft and myself, and all others who
have sincere purpose, etc, because
you are the one who would determine
what was helpful, what would re-
assure the American people, what ad-
vice you would follow, and you are
,,I,
agreement with Mr.. Wilson concern
ing the covenant he brought back
from Europe.
There is one statement Of our tel
egram that does give a definite idea
of where you stand upon what Mr..
Wilson declares to be the heart of the
league-the general alliance of Arti
Gle X, by which the United States
would undertake to guarantee as
against external aggression the terri
tory and independence of every MEM
ber of the league and to make that
guarantee good by war, if necessary.
you say in your telegram that you
will accept reservations that viii
clearly state to our associates in the
league that congress, and congress
alone, has the right to declare war,
anu that Jul CONSTITUTION SGlo up
limits in legislation or treaty making
beyond which we cannot go.
THAT, it seems. is what you are
willing TO do about Article X; we'll
it is absolutely nothing. Everybody
knows already that only congress has
right to declare war, and that there
are limits to legislation and treaty
making power. All governments of all
.;x
plish nothing by telling them of it
again. The trouble about giving the
guarantee provided in Article X is
that the making of a treaty contain
ing it is a solemn assurance to all the
nations that it is within the treaty
making power and that the promise
to make war binds congress as fully
as it binds all other members of our
government to maintain the piighted
faith of the United States.
"On the same day when you sent the
telegram, according to the press re-
ports, in a meeting at Providence
some one in the audience asked you,
would you accept the Lodge reserva-
tions to the League of Nations? 2
! There was your opportunity. Among
those reservations was one which
said:
1.-The United States assumes no OBJ
legation to preserve the territorial in
tegrity or political independence of
any other country by the employment
of its military or naval forces, etc,
unless in an particular case the con-
gress which under the constitution
has the sole power to declare or to
authorize the employment of the mill
tarv oT naval forces of the United
States shall in the exercise Of full
liberty of action by act or joint reso-
luton so provide.