The Washington herald., 1920-06-16

threatened of nations pledged to do
and insist upon what Is justice and
fair, are to exercise "their infiu-
ence and power for the prevention
of war. This means the recon-
mendation of fair compromises In
nonjusticiable controversies by the
league of nations secured by their
pledged insistence and the use Of
their influence and power. 1t Is
Article XVI and preceding articles
strongly approved by Senator Root.
The second paragraph introduces
the reservation of Article x as fol-
lows:
I'VE believe that all this can be
done without the compromise Of ma
tional independence, without de-
priving the people Of the United
States in advance of the right to
determine for themselves what Is
just and fair when the occasion
arises, and without involving them
as participants and not as peace
makers in a multitude of quarrels
the merits Of which they are unable
to Judge"
Article X bound the United States
with the other members to uphold.
ritorial integrity and existing po-
litical independence OF every MEM
ber of the league with force OF
gard to the merits Of the contro-
versy.
Obligation Destroyed.
The majority and, indeed, the
minority-reservati of the DEM
ocrats destroyed this positive obli-
cation and left 1t to Congress to
decide it's course when the occasion
arose, and this is just what the
above words provide.
The platform continues:
The covenant signed by the
President at Paris signally failed
to accomplish this great purpose,
and contains stipulations not only
intolerable for independent people,
but certain to produce the injustice.
hostility and controversy among
nations which it proposed to pre-
vent"
In the next paragraph the criti-
cism of Article X is continued as
well as that of the failure to set
tie justiciable controversies and i'm
prove international law by a judi
cial tribunal rather than by the
league council or assembly. Here
in also the reservation of the Mon
roe doctrine insisted upon; the
words are as follows:
That covenant repudiated to a
degree wholly unnecessary and un-
justifable the time-honored policy
in favor of peace declared by wash
ington and Jefferson and Monroe,
ministrators for more than a CEN
tury, and ii ignored the universal
sentiment of America for genera
tions past in favor of international
law and arbitration, and il rested
the hope of the future upon mere
expedients and negotiations"
Necessity of Departure.
This language it's we'll to note
carefully. 1t does not declare that
we must adhere to mo entangling
alliance doctrine of Washington
and JEFFERSON" 1t only criticizes
the covenant for departing from
it more than is necessary and jus
tifiable in creating a useful asso-
citation of nations. 1t thus con-
sary.
Then comes the condemnation of
the President for not accepting the
league with the Lodge reservations
rendered him by the Republican
majority Of the Senate.
The unfortunate insistence of
the President upon having his own
way without any change and with
out any regard to the opinions of
the majority of the Senate which
shares with him the treaty making
power and the Presidents demand
that the treaty should be ratified
without any modification created a
situation in which Senators were
required to vote upon their con-
sciences and their oaths according
to their judgment against the
treaty as 1t was presented or SUD-
nit to the command of a dictator
in a matter where the authority
and responsibility under the Con-
stitution were theirs and not his"
Opposed Lodge Reservations.
What was 1t that the President
objected to? 1t was the league
with the Lodge reservations. He
was not directing his efforts
against the absolute reputation Of
the league by the bitter-enders. He
had no chance to.
Indeed. he and the bitter-enders
were working toward the same
end, 1. g., the defeat of the Lodge
reservations. The bitter-enders
praised him for his courageous and
conscientious stand on principle
against the league thus qualified.
This condemnation of the President
by the platform for refusing to ac-
cept the league with the Lodge
reservations necessarily and in
evitably approves the league with
those reservations. The meaning
cannot be escaped and II Is con-
firmed incontestably by the Ian
guage which follows:
"The Senators performed their
duties faithfully. We approve their
and fidelity and we pledge the com
ing Republican administration 10
such agreement with the other ma
tions of the world as shall meet the
full duty of America to civilization
and humanity in accordance with
American ideals and without sur
rendering the right of the Amer
lean people to exercise its judgment
and its power in favor of justice
and peace"
These words Immediately follow
the condemnation of the President
for failing to accept the offer of the
Republican Senators to ratify the
league with the Lodge reservations.
What, therefore, can the approval
of their action mean but an ap-
proval of the league with these
reservations which they offered the
President. 1t shows clearly what
that world agreement is to be, to
which the Republican party pledges
itself In the closing words of the