Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-08-28
LEAGUE FAILURE
Continued from pase /

/ stricken peoples of Europe. include oil OF
them and speak with n genuinely SYM
pathetic heart, whether it is to mention
| devastated France or sorcly tried Italy, or
nobly struggling Poland or distracted md
misguided Russia, or gallant little Bel
gian, or pitiably deceived Austria or the
ruthless invader, Germany, which came to
the supreme tragedy through leadership
which brought disaster to her misguided
people
| and desire to serve that most reluctantly
and with grave misgivings as announced
| at the time, | voted to accept the league
covenant with reservations designed to
preserve our essential liberty of action.
| The record is made and under the same
conditions, confronted by the same al
tentative, should vote now as ! voted
| then.
aBut the conditions have changed
Experience has brought enlightenment
We know now that the league constituted
at Versailles is utterly impotent as pre-
ventive of wars. IL is so obviously i'm
potent that il has not even been tried. 1t
could not survive single test. The original
league, mistakenly conceived and un-
reasonably insisted upon has undoubtedly
passed beyond the possibility of restora-
ton.
NOW, il may appear to you that have
been speaking chiefly in the negative.
make the admission. What is more,
might continue to do so almost in
definitely without disadvantage to our
cause. So many things have been done by
the present expiring administration that
no power on earth could induce me TO do,
that | cannot even attempt To recount
them. / may remark casually, however,
- Il. Il \ I'll.
elected President of this Just and honor
able republic, ] will not empower an
Assistant Secretary OF the Navy To draft
constitution for helpless neighbors in the
West Indies and jam il down their throats
at the point of bayonets born by United
States marines Nor will | misuse the
power of the executive to cover with veil
of secrecy repeated acts of unwarranted
interference in domestic affairs OF the
little republics of the western hemisphere.
''On the other hand | will not or shall
not rs YOU prefer, submit TO any wrong
against any American citizen with re-
spect to either his life or his property by
any government This statement is made
in all solemnity, with enmty for none and
friendship for all. II IL particularly APP
plies to Mexico the application has been
directed by the robbery and murder of
hundreds Of our own people in that un-
happy country
clusively toward our next door neighbsr,
To whom we would gladly hold forth a
helping hand. II is intended for n plain
notice To every government on the face Of
the earth that the entire resources Of this
nation are pledged to maintain the
sacredness Of American lives and the just
protection of American properties.
The line Of demarcation between our
attitude and that of our political oppo-
nents IL perfectly plain. The President has
made his position clear by his acts no less
than by his words. He still holds Article
Ten to be the heart Of the covenant So
does the Democratic platform. So does
the Democratic nominee. To assume that
the nominee would accept the reserva-
tions rejected by the President and de-
nounced by the party platform is to i'm
pugn his integrity.
For myself do not question for mo-
ment the truth Of what the Democratic
nominee says on this subject. He has
fatty said he is in favor of going in on the
basis announced by the President | am
not. That is the whole difference between
US, but il is most vital one because it
involves the disparity between world
t0hih va xA1hAtt atpHaftitNhA'h ~ u NOf&l
association for confidence on the one hand
and the council of the league on the other.
The one is a judicial tribunal TO be
governed by fixed and definite principles
of law administered without passion or
prejudice. The other is an association of
diplomats and politicians whose determine
tions are sure to be influenced by con-
siderations of expedency and national
seIfishness
There are distinctly two types of inter
national relationship. One is an offensive
and defensive alliance of great powers, like
that created ut Versailles, TO impose
their will upon the helpless peoples of the
world. am opposed TO such scheme as
that. | am opposed TO the very thought OF
our republic becoming party to so great
an outrage upon other peoples, who have
as good right 10 seek their political free
dom as we had In 1776.
"The other type is a society of free
nations, or an association of free nations.
or league of free nations, animated BY
considerations of right and justice instead
OF might and self interest, and not merely
proclaimed an agency in pursuit of peace.
but so organized and so participated in as
10 make the actual attainment OF peace q
reasonable possibility. Such an association
| favor with all my heart.
This is proposing no new thing This |
country is already member of such a
soeiety-the Hague tribunal, which un-
like the League of Versailles, is still func-
tioning and within few weeks will resume
its committee sessions under the chair |
manship of an American representative. |
In that body we have the framework of |
really effective instuimentality of an en-
during peace. The fact that the tribunal |
did not prevent the great war is, of course, |
manifest, but the cause of the failure is not !
apparent. Germany secretly determined |
upon a ruthless invasion, was able to pre- |
vent the adoption of measures which |
might have proved effectual. The condi- |
ton now is wholly different. Not only |
Germany, but the entire world has profit |
ed to the extent of an awful object lesson |
This makes vastly easier the task of so
strengthening the Hague tribunal as
render its just DEGREES either acceptable |
or enforce able.
ut is not uncommon for the advoc ates
Of the league of Versailles to contrast un-
favorably the Hague tribunal upon the
ground that the tribunal lacks teeth. Very
well, then, let US put teeth into it. If in
the failed League of Versailles there can be
found machinery which the tribunal can
use properly and advantageo usly by all
means let it be appropriated
Il would go even further. l would
take and combine all that is good, and
excise all that is bad from both organiza-
tions. This statement is broad enough to