Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-08-07
TAFT CLASHES WITH
HARDING ON LEAGUE
Hopes Nominee Will Ultimately
Conclude it Wiser" to Accept
Lodge Plan.

New York, Aug. In letter yester-
dag to the New York Evening World from
pomte.au-Pic, Canada, former President
William III. Taft frankly anwsered num-
ber of questions relating to the League
of Nations, stating among other things
that he hoped Senator Harding would ul-
timately conclude it to be wiser to enter
the League with the Lodge reservations
than to attempt to carry out the same
purpose through new form OF associa-
ton.
The interest Of the American people in
the League, the former President said,
was dulled when President Wilson de-
feated the League with the Lodge reser-
vations. Mr. Tafts letter IN full follows
Pointe-au-Pic, Canada, Aug. 4, ig2o.
To the Editor of the Il venlng World:
You ask me TO answer some questions
for The Evening World in respect to
reservations of the covenant OF the League
of Nations. Your first three questions
are as follows:
Il Could not the Constitution OF the
United States itself constitute the one
comprehensive and sufficient reservta-
tion with which this nation might ratify
the Peace Treaty and accept the cove
nant OF the League of NationsT
l.
Constitution must affect this nation
reading of the League covenant, as, for
example. in the matter of the power given
Congress to declare war and provide
for the maintenance of army and navy,
would not citations from the text oil the
Constitution itself be as explicit and
forceful MS any paraphraseY
III. II the Constitution were used as
the one all-embracing reservation would
il not offer common ground for agree
mert to all reservationlsts. who honestly
seek nothing but the preservation OF TINS
nntion's constitutional independence and
integrity in the terms ON which IL enterd
the Lcaguc?'
| have often had occasion to say that
without any reservations at all the cove
nant of the League Of Nations, m so lar
a. II purports 10 impose any obligations
on the United States, must he Construed
to mean that the obligation will be per-
formed in accord with the Constitution
of the United States and in no other way.
II does not add anything, therefore,
10 the ratification by the United States
Of the League to make n reservation oi
something which is necessarily implied
without IL. -,
4 reservation to he useful should be
specific in its limitations.
Merely to say that It is to be construed
in accord with the Constitution u still
10 leave a question rs TO what the limlta-
tion Of the Constitution would be.
II is the doubt rs 20 how the Con.
stituton restricts the power of the United
States In such cases that should be cleared
IN hv reservation if we are to have q
reservation.
Your fourth question is:
"IV. Can any Argument for Senator
HardnE's possible new relationship Q
the nations to commit the moral forces
Of the world 10 peace and justice out
weigh the concrete present, actual exist
ence and availability Of a league tina
| twentv-nine nations have already ioined?'
| believe that it will he found tina
when President Harding approaches tn
| twenty-nino members who have alrcad
| formed league they will be reluctant t,
adopt some new form, especially II b,
| that time the league shall have demon
! strated its usefulness and pract liability
1t is on this basis that ] hope tha
President Harding will ultimately. con