Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1920-10-18
WAR BREEDER

WAR BREEDER
(continusd frpm Page ons)
States. Peace will be advanced II the
United States is maintained in all
her fighta,- powers and independence. |
ready a. she always has been to help
humanity. and advance the peace Of
the world"
This is the true American policy,
loyal to the cause Of peace. yes, but
also to our country. Peace will not
be promoted by sacrificing the Unit
ed States, Peace will be advanced
II the United States is maintained In
all her rights, powers an dindepend- Z.
ence, ready as she always has been
to help humanity and advance the
peace Of the world"
The Senator opened his discussion.
Of the League by stating that chief
Democratic speakers are very busily
engaged just now in denouncing the
Republicans as Incorporating the
facts when they say that under The
Covenant American soldiers can be
sent abroad at the bidding Of for:
eign powers.
Besides merely shouting that they
are Misrepresentation" Senator
Lodge said. they have two ways of
meeting the wholly truthful asser-
tons as to sending American SOL
diers abroad.
"One is that armies and navies
cannot be authorized or supplied
without action by Congress and that
If through the moral obligation Of
Article 10 we are bound ! to send
troops and ships to engage in a for
eign war. Congress can refuse to
meet the moral obligation. -
Treaties Of this character rest en-
tirely on moral obligations, in fact,
practically all treaties rest on moral
obligations. A legal obligation If it
exists at all in a treaty. can only ex-
list when the treaty is made under
duress and territory or hostages are
taken to secure it's performance.
Then it may be said that 1t is a law
with sanction. but broadly staged
treaties depend on moral obligations
and the League; Of Nations Covenant
depends on nothing else.
IT moral obligation is not abso-
lutely binding on, nations which sign
a treaty then the treaty is merely a
scrap Of paper. Undoubtedly Con-
gress can refuse to meet a treaty OBJ
legation whether moral or legal
That is the pathway of dishonor and
it Is always open.
Upon that pathway I trust the
United States will never enter. We
have never yet broken faith under a.
treaty and we must not begin to do
SO now. "a 4
g.sThe other method Of demonstrat-
ing that we cannot be compelled to
send our troops to take part in for
eign wars. except when we ourselves
desire to do so, is to point to the
necessity of unanimous 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 10,
which imposes an immediate obliga-
ton with which the Council has
nothing to do. 49,.
1.-The first sentence Of that article.
imposes an obligation which attaches
at once to every member Of the
League and whether 1t is individual
or not. inasmuch as it attaches to all
members the obligation is there and
must be fulfilled 'HSs
But there are other considerations
which show. that the veto power of
the single vote is but a slender reed
on which to lean. This can be demL
onstrated by. considering the views
and intentions of the President. who
was the author of Article 10 and who
sustains without change all provis-
iors of the League of Nations. as
"On January %. 1917. the Presi-
cent presented in an address to the
Senate plan for world peace. At
that time the President had not
broken with Germany and he was
planning for peace without VIC
tory and then for the prom otion of
a league. He proposed that we
should adi.tre 10 a league for peace
and then he said:
1T will be absolutely necessary
that force be created as a guaran-
tor of the permaneEcy Of the settle
ment so much greater than the force
of any nation now engaged or any
alliance hitherto formed or projected
that no nation, no probable combi
nation of nations could face or
withstand it. If the peace presently
to be made is to endure, it must be
peace made secure by the organized
majority force of mankind
THAT shows the Presidents concep-
ton Of league for peace. that it
must be backed by the organized
major force Of mankind and that
means an international force under
the control Of the league and with all
the members of the league obliged to
furnish quotas for the international
force
"That this continued IN his mind to
be the dominant conception of a
league for peace Is shown by what he
said on February II. 1919. when he
presented the finished draft of the
constitution of the league of nations
as it was then called. to the confer
ence. Mr.. Wilson described this now
international combination as the
union OF Wills In common purpose a
union Of wills which cannot be resist
ed, and which, 1 dare say no nation
will run the risk of attempting to re-
sist."
And then he added: Armed force
is in the background Of this program,
but 1t is in the background, and IL the
moral force Of the world will NOT suf-