The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-10-18

is TO point 20 the necessity Of q unani-
nous vote In the Council OF the League
and declare that without our vote no
troops could be ordered out. This, OF
course. does not meet the provision OF
Article ", which imposes an immediate
obligation. with which the council has
nothing TO do. The first sentence OF that
article imposes an obligation which at
taches at once 10 every member OF the
league, and whether IL IS individual or
not. inasmuch as X attaches 10 all MEM
bers. tho obligation Is there and must
be fulfilled. Eut there are other consid-
eiations which SHOW that the veto power
OF the single vote Is but slender reed
on which TO lean. This can be demon
strated By considering the. views and in
tentions OF the President. who was the
author OF Article y, and who sustains
without change, all provisions OF the
League OF Nations On January %, 1917,
The resident presented IN sn address 10
the Senate a plan for a world peace. At
that time the President had not broken
with Germany and he was planning for
a peace without victory" and then for
the promotion of a league. He proposed
that we should adhere 10 a league for
oeace, and then he said:
1T will be absolutely necessary that
pernlanency Of the settlement so much
greater than the force OF any nation now
engaged or any alliance hitherto formed
or projected that no nation, no proba-
Die combination OF nations could face or
withstand Il. II tho peace presently TO
be made is TO endure it must be a peace
made secure by the organized major
force Of mankind
THAT shows the Presidents conccp-
ton OF a league for peace, that It must
be backed by the organized force OF
mankind" and that means an interna-
tional force under the control of the
league and with ell the members of the
league obliged to furnish quotas for the
international force. That this contin-
ued in his mind to be the dominant con-
ception OF league for peace is shown
by what he said on February Is. 1919.
when he presented the finished draft OF
the constitution OF the League of Ma
tons, as II was then called, TO the con-
ference. Mr.. Wilson described this new
international combination as "the union
OF wills In a common purpose, a union
OF wills which cannot be resisted. and
which dare cay no nation will run tho
risk OF attempting TO resist" And then
he added: Armed force Is in the back
ground OF this programme. but 1t IS IN
the background. and IL the moral force
OF the world will not suffice. the physi-
cal force Of ths world shall" There can
be no mistake as to what that language
of the President means.
what Wilson Told Knox.
when the President met the Senate
Committee on Foreign Relations at the
White House on August 10. 1919, Eena-
tor Knox asked this question: Suppose
that II ie perfectly obvious and accepted
that there is an external aggression
against some Power, and suppose 1t Is
perfectly obvious and accepted that It
cannot be repealed except by force of
arms. would We be under any legal obi
cation to particlpate?' The President re-
piled: No. sir; but we would be under
an absolutely compelling moral obliga-
ton A compelling moral obligation,
which Is tho highest obligation possible
in a treaty, 10 do what? TO use the
force OF arms IN the case OF external
aggression under Article X.
"Quite recently Mr. Lloyd George, re-
plying 10 a deputat.on OF friends of The
league. said shat nothing could be done
by the league to prevent, FOR example. an
attack Of Russia upon Poland, unless we
had an international force--that is, a