Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1920-11-22
PREVENTING WAR

The decision made, at GENEVA ~
send harmed forces to Wilma ITO Sc
cure free and honest plebisclte
70 determine whether the city shall
he Polish or Lithuanian conv'Ec:
The New York Tribune that the Re
publican charges that membership IN
the League might easily involve US
in war were well founded. We have
mo- objections to the statement OF
facts made by The Tribune, but its
differences bear no sort Of relation
to its facts.
"The armed force says The Tri-
bune, ''is to be composed of contin-
gents furnished by Great Britain,
France, Belgium and Spain. What
would our Government do were it an
unreserved member of the League
wien similar case to that
of wilma arose? Would our
executive department assume
the power to join in the poll
cling expedition, or would it say that
Congress must first be consulted? =
And then, in bland unconsciousn.ss
that it is destroying It's own areu-
mcnt, The Tribune cites TIVE eases
and it should have cited two more
in which the President actcd first
and consulted afterward. Tn" Tri-
bune says: .:;This was. the course
pursued when our troops helped
make up the international expedition
to Picking. 1t was the course pu--
sued when President Wilson landci
forces at Vera Cruz" Two cases not
by The Tribune are the
dispatch Of marines by President
Cleveland to keep the Panama Rail-
road open. in compliance with our
treaty with Colombia. and the dis
patch of troops To the isthmuS by
President Roosevelt to prevent Co
lombia from suppreSsing a rctty in
Surrection, which was, u violation of
our treaty with Colombia.
Hore, then, are four instances in
which without any league u, Presi-,
dent has used troops abroad without
Congress. If b 9th Re-
publican and Democratic Presidents
may do that now, why should there
be any objection to their doing Il slni-
lar thing in association with the
othcr members of the League for the !
purpose Of preventing war?
For it,Is not to participate in war,
nut to prevent war. that the League ,
will send force to Wilma to Sc that
he people have a fair chance to de-
'lare whether they will join Poland
" Lithuania. II left to the two coun-
ries concerned there would probably
,e war, and when war starts no
nan can tell where it will stop. \ (
military demonstration by Austria in
;crvia caused the world war. in
which even the United States be-
anne involved. Is il better to prevent
var, or to let the war come? There
; no reason to apprehend that P"-
and apd Lithuania will offer resist
nee I'd League OF Nations force.
'ut if they should. it would be bet
or for us to Join England, France,
'elguim and Spain in SupprcsSin%
nat resistance than 10 wait till Eu-
ope was involved in another war.
Without consulting Congress,
resident Mckinley sent American
oops to cooperate with the troops
t other countries i'm China. and our
oops were even put under the COM
and of asforeign general. and the
oxerS resisted and were suppressed,
Il that could possibly happen ut
lima actually happened at TicnSt;n
nd Picking, and American troops
ought on foreign soil at the COM
and of the. President and without
'e authority OF Congress.
If We were an unrescwcd member
the League we should participate
18th other nations, not in conduct
g war, bit in preventing a war,
I'd the authority of the President
pu!d not 20 beyond that actually
,crciSed by Presidents Cleveland,
ooSerelt and Wilson. Why al! this
ltcry over the League OF Nations,
Nv that the campaign is over?