Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-10-18
LODGE DENOUNCES
LEAGUE Of NATIONS
AS BREEDER Of WAR
Senator Attacks Article X at
Rally as Menace to Peace
of World.

league OF nations in an address here
last night. declaring that it is ian
ALLIANCE, and that instead of pro-
hotlng the worlds peace it makes
provision for war. and will be a
breeder of war;
Inc league. he said is full of "en-
ioIGement by armies and has very
court of justice. AS it stands. it is a
menace and not a help to the peace
of the world"
After discussing the league cove
nant; Particularly the provisions of
a h \, Senator Lodge. speaking
before the Society of Arts and
Hardings conception of the best
means to promote world peace
senator Harding is as anxious to
promote the worlds peace as any
man VINO hves, Senator Lodge said?
! but ne is not willing to sacrifice the
United States by adhering to an al
lance that would mean war and not
peace He is utterly against the Will
son league as Mr.. Wilson brought it
from Paris
Senator Harding's plan is to bring
ABOUT under the leadership of the
Cnlted States an agreement among
the nations which will truly promote
the peace of the world
/ Moral Obligation Imposed.
IF a moral obligation is not alb
solutely binding on nations which sign
a treaty. then the treaty is merely a
scrap of paper. Undoubtedly Con-
gress can refuse to meet treaty OBJ
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.
THE other method of demonstrate
ing that We cannot be compelled to
SEM out troops to take part in for
eign wars, except when we ourselves
desire to do so. is to point to the ne
cessity of a unanimous vote in the
that without our vote no troops could
| be ordered out. This. of course. does
not meet the provision of article X
which imposes an immediate obliga-
ton with which the council has moth
ing to do.
imposes an obligation which attaches
at once to every member of the league
and whether it is individual or not
! inasmuch as it attaches to all mem
bers the obligation is there and must
| be fulfilled.
! Single Vote Slender Reed.
But there are other considerations
which show that the veto power of
the single vote is but a slender reed
strated by considering the views and
intentions of the President. who was
the author of article Y and who sus-
tains without change all provisions
of the league of nations.
ION January %. 1917, the President
Il
| a plan for world peace. At that
| time the President had not broken
with Germany and he was planning
for peace without victory and
| then for the promotion of league.
| He proposed that we should adhere to
league for peace and then he said:
! 1T will be absolutely necessary
that force be created as guarantor
| of the permanency of the settlement
! so much greater than the force of
any nation nowseengaged or any al
lance hitherto formed or projected
! that no nation. no probable combina-
/ ton of nations could face or with
stand it. If the peace presently to
be made is to endure, it must be
peace made secure by the organized
major force of mankind
! President's Idea Of League.
! That shows the Presidents con-
ception of league for peace, that
\ IL must De OdChGu ny tie 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 interna-
! tional force.
i which is the highest obligation pos
! sible in treaty. to do what? To use
! the force of arms in the case of ex-
! ternal aggression under article X.
who is to apply the veto? Who
| States in the council against the
votes of the eight other members?
| Naturally. the representative of the
E: United States on the council. How
! is he to be appointed and selected?
On this the covenent of the league
/ is silent.
Under the covenant of the league
as it stands. the President of the
| United States could send a repre-
[ sentative to the council and nobody
could question his credentials. That
representative so appointed by the
! President as a personal agent could
! involve us in war under article x.
/. The compelling moral obligation
would then apply and Congress would
| have no choice .-cept to give the
formal authority ~nd make the nee
essary appropriations.
The argument is made that the
! obligation could not be fulfilled I'M
less Congress supplied the Army and
Navy as the Constitution requires.
Of course. we can always disgrace
ourselves by breaking an obligation.
but that. as have already said is
| a means of escape never to be con-
sidered."
Senator Lodge quoted public ut
terances of Charles Evans Hughes
and Elihu Root tending to bear out
i his contention.
Also Discusses Article ID,
Senator Lodge said he wanted to
call attention ito one clause in one
article that has not been brought
much before the country in this cam
'paign. because attention has been
concentrated chiefly on two or three
of the leading principles involved"
"a minute study of the league which
i have been obliged to give it," he
continued, reveals a great many
things to those who are in search of
interesting possibility.
article %, paragraph c. says: The
members of the league will intrust
1.-THE league with the general super
vision over the execution of agree
ments with regard to the traffic in
women and children and the traffic in
opium and other dangerous drugs.
THAT is drawn with the looseness
iclas in this covenant. but it gave rise
Ito some discussion in the Senate and
finally we determined to include it in
a reservation. The reservation, may
say. is based upon the provision Of
1.-The league as to who shall determine
what constitutes domestic question
that is left in the league to determine
Some of US We're not satisfied with
leaving that in the league. We
thought there were certain questions
concerning the affairs of this country
which ought to be regarded as do
lmeStic and we Ndeterminad that thev