Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-03-25
President U1iIS0n and
League Of Nations IRE
Scored by Senator Reed

in the interest Of free speech and
elf-determination.' In his New
York speech just prior to returning
to Paris he publicly announced that
he was going to Irvine the peace
treaty and the League ofsNations so
closely together that the senate could
not separate them. In other words,
he was going to compel the senate
to adopt the covenant of the league
in order to make peace. That, of
course, was in the interest of free
exercise by the senate of it's con-
stitutional function"
Within a few weeks after the guns
ceased firing on the western front,
Senator Reed continued, the victors
were busily dividing the spoils. Italy
extended her, frontiers; France took
AIsace-Lorraine, the Sarre valley and
a large part of Africa; Japan was
given Shantung without the consent
of China, though China entered the
war as our ally at our direct re-
quest" England took over three mill
lion square miles of territory and
sixty million people, including
Egypt, whose independence Eng.
land had sworn to protect, and whose
representatives were put in Jail when
they came to Paris to make a pro-
test 3d..
Americas Obligations
After thus dividing the spoils, con-
tinued Senator Reed. "they wrote the
League of Nations, which in it's last
analysis is an alliance of five powers
including the United States by which
the members Of the alliance guaran-
tee the spoils in perpetuity,"
AT this point Senator Reed request
ed the overseas men in the audience
to stand UP. Some fifty Or more re-
sponded. He then asked them the
question whether they favored an OBJ
legation requiring the United States
to send them, or their kinsmen, to
every war that may break out in Eu-
rope or Asia, whether we consider
their participation justified or unjus-
titled. None of the veterans voted in
the affirmative. After they had sat
down, one young man got up and said
he did not believe article ten of the
covenant would bind us to such an
obligation.
II respect you and your views"
replied Senator Reed. II will under
take to convince you that article ten
does bind us to just that obligation,
and if I fail, then your vote will
stand against me. This is the first
time 1 have polled the soldiers in
any audience. but am going to poll
them in every audience I address,
hereafter"
| Senator Reed then discussed the
assembly Of the league, to be COM
posed of thirty-two nations, includ-
! ing seventeen dark-skinned nations,
! oY.n nf
ulation to New York city. He said
the audience could take either view
it pleased Of the assembly's author
| ity. If it has any authority at all,
| then the United States with one rep
resentative will be hopelessly out
voted: on the other hand, if it merely
be, as the president claims, de
batting society" then the real power
! is lodged in the council of the league
I The council, he asserted, has power
to require the United States to emf
ploy it's military and naval forces In
any war anywhere in the world grow
ing out of any cause, and therein
tho council is a super-government
superior to the government OF the
United States, and therein the league
is 20 league OF treason against THIS
republic"
| Conflicting Policies
In the council, declared the sena
tor. the United States will be one
of the five nations whose Leadership
is expressly stipulated, while foul
others may become members at tn'
i pleasure of these five. The specified
! five are England, France, Italy, ia
nan and the United States. The op
tional four are Belgium, Greece
Spain and Brazil. He undertook t6
! show that a majority of these arr
obedient to to British influence fol
various reasons, and that their IN
terest may be relied upon to contra
dict the interest of the United
| States.
The Lodge reservations, he de
clared, do not ."Americanize' thu
covenant, s"but you cannot Amer
eanize- treason Artic1e'X X, he show
ed, would obligate the United States
D. to preserve the territorial integrlG'
and existing boundaries" of all mem
/ berS of the league against externa
4 aggression. This, he argued q
I length, is a plain surrender of tn
| council of the right. to employ on
army and navy in every. war. Tn
president, he claimed, so considers
ana mas repeatedly 1ndue pldln Ill
understanding Of it. But even wit
E.Article X reserved, or stricken GU
" entirely, there would still renal
three other articles that would bin
US hand and foot-these being, tn
article authorizing the council to in
terfere in any dispute; the articl
authorizing the council to take IAN
action deemed wise and effectuaP t
prevent any war or threat of war
the article requiring all members ,
go to war against any nation or ma
tons that refuse to abide the verde
of the council in any dispute. AS t
n tn requirement of unanimous vot
in the council, he replied that W
would not vote in any matter in
vo1ving us as a party to a contrc
versy.
c According to President Wilson
= view of the league" h. said, "ther
: are to be no neutrals in future war!
That is why we are asked to provi
5 standing army of $4,000 men, an
}, to establish universal training, an
Y to appropriate nearly one billion do
n lars for more battleships. Genera
t March on two occasions testified be
fore congressional committees tina
= this immense armament was t
S make us ready to discharge our OF
legations under the league We ar