New-York tribune., 1920-12-02
What Is Good in the League
Henry ". TAFT Discusses Parts
To Be Saved
To the Editor Of The Tribune.

To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: Lord Robert Cecil says that Ar
ticle X is innocuous because it has no
effect except that it "discountenances
aggression" and that it does not guar
antee perpetually the frontiers of every
country as they exist to-day. But
America has placed quite different in
terpretation upon the article, and if it
is incorrect there should be no objec-
ton tosa provision which will remove
all ambiguity. Lord Robert also urges
that Article K 'provides for changes
and alterations G. e., in fronters) by
peaceful methods and not b. war;;
but America thinks that the implica-
ton that Article X contemplates the
use of force is too clear for argument.
hope that some kind of league
under an amended covenant-amended
certainly, so far IS America is related
to lt-may emerge; but imagine that
after the last election no responsible
statesman in this country would have
the temerity to consent to the reten-
tion of Article X unless any obligation
it imposed to use the military force
of the United States should be made
expressly conditional upon the Consti-
tutlonal consent of Congress, to be
given as each occasion arises Article
X thus qualified would surely be, in
the words of Lord Robert Cecil, "in-
nocuous." Indeed, it would be, so far
as it relates to this country, emascu-
lated, and might as we'll be altogether
omitted from the covenant.
was one of those who. in the early
discussions of the league, favored Ar
ticle X. | did so because I believed
that the European nations demanded
1t as necessary for the maintenance
OF the status of the nations created
by the Versailles treaty The dis
cussion in the campaign, however, has
brought out the fact that we were
all mislcd, and that Mr.. Wilson was
the potent force which insisted upon
the insertion of Article in the COW
enant. 1t was the one idcalistic con-
ception which he had formulated in
his mind before he went to Europe. In
deed. he had before that used the iden-
tical phraseology Of Article in a sug-
gested compact he urged upon the Cen
trail and South American countries in
1915. That France did not regard Ar
tlcle y as an effective part of the
scheme is indicated by the significant
fact that the French commissioners
insisted upon special treaty under
WI lch England and America were to
protect 1t against an uni ust aggre ession
by Germany, and that she did not re-
gard 1T as essential is confirmed by the
recent statement of Leon Bourgeois
The report of the English commission
presided over by Lord Philimore rec
Ammcnded form of covenant which
was approved by Lord Robert Cecil
and the other commi ssioners, but it did
not contain anything resembling Ar
tclc X And so the one idea Of the
league which, moro than any other, was
fraught with danger of international
complication gcrminated on this side
of the Atlantic; and it has now been
rejected by the American people.
We Americans are doing great deal
Of talking about "scrapping" the
league. Lord Robert Cecil says that
this need not be done because the pres
cnt organization can be so modified as
to meet the requirements Of the United
States, and that America must aban-
don the idea that the forty-two mem
Der nations will take such radical ac-
ton Whether this is so or not, it
seems to me that for us in this coun-
try it would be better to have done
with figures Of speech and get down to
the business Of considering with some
dcnniteness what can be done to re-
store legal condition Of peace and to
preserve the good that is insthe league.