Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-10-22
ROOT TELLS COX
HE STANDS BEHIND
THE PARIS TREATY
Replies to Telegram Asking
Him to Correct "FaIse
Statement"
By the AHoctsted Prsss.

SldtemeIl.
By the Associated Press.
NEW YORK, October 22-Elihu
Root. last night made public the fol-
lowing telegram to Gov. Cox reply
ing to his request to correct" an al
| LEGGED false" statement in Mr.. Roots
New York address Tuesday regard
ing the governors position upon the
| league of nations:
Il have today received your tele-
gram. dated Wednesday. I would not
willingly do you injustice, and I do
not think I have You began your
| campaign by an interview with the
president and an authoritative state
ment that you and he were in COM
| lions. l cannot be mistaken about
| his position. Throughout the long
struggle in the Senate he steadily re-
| fused to give his assent to any re-
servation which substantially changed
the covenant as he brought it back
He certainly has not changed. His
| very recent utterances show that. If
you have changed from that complete
accord with him, l have hot heard of
1t. Such a change is not indicated
by the vague and general expressions
OF your telegram saying that you
will accept reservations that will
clarity, that will be helpful, that will
reassure the American people, that
you would sit down with the mem
| bers of the Senate, that you would
| confer with Mr.. Wilson. Mr.. Taft and
| myself. and all others who have a
sincere purpose, etc. because you are
| the one who would determine what
was helpful, what would reassure the
American people, what advice you
| would follow and you are solemnly
hi yN1~
with Mr.. Wilson concerning the
covenant he brought back from
Europe.
Invites Statement.
There Is one statement of your tele-
gram that does give a definite idea of
where you stand upon what Mr. Wilson
declares to be the heart of the league
me general alliance of article x. by
which the United States would under
lake to guarantee as against external
aggression the territory and independ-
ence Of every member Of the league and
to make that guarantee good by war If
necessary. You say, on your telegram
that you will accept reservations that
will clearly state to our associates in
the league that Congress and Congress
alone has the right to declare war and
that our Constitution sets up limits in
legislation or treaty-making beyond
which we cannot CO.
That. 1t seems. is what you are will
ing to do about, article X. Well. it is
absolutely nothing. Everybody knows
to declare war, and that there are limits
to legislation and eaty-making powers.
All governments of all civilized nations
know it: You accomplish nothing by
telling them OF it again. The trouble |
article x is that the making of treaty
containing it is solemn assurance to
all the nations that it is within the
treaty making power; and that the
fully as 1t binds all other members of |
our government to maintain the p1ighted !
faith Of the United States, In all gov
ernments the power to declare war rests !
somewhere, and an agreement to make !!
war is an agreement that that power |
shall be SO exercised by the officers in |
whom 1t rests A refusal by Congress |
to pass the necessary resolution would |
simply be breach Of the treaty.
y An Analogous Case.
AN analogous case is the power of |
Congress to appropriate money. i
There is no other power in our gov
eminent to do that; but, If the United |
States makes treaty agreeing to pay
a million dollars to another country, |
would any one say that the obligation |
Congress to appropriate the money. |
Congress to appropriate the money?
be shat the United States would have
broken faith. The real question is
whether we shall enter into a guar
antee under which the faith of
treaties will require Congress to pass
= resolution declaring war. That is
what the President proposed. That
Is what your telegram makes 1t clear
you propose.
"On the same day when you sent
the telegram. according to the press
reports, In a meeting at Providence
some one in the audience asked you,
Would you accept the Lodge reserva-
tons to the league of nations@ There
reservations was one which said:
The United States assumes no
obligation to preserve the territorial
integrity or political independence of
any other country by the employment
of it's military or naval forces. ETC.,
unless in any particular case the Con-
gress. which, under the Constitution,
has the sole power to declare war or
to authorize the employment OF the
military or naval forces of the United
liberty Of action by act or joint reso-
luton SO provide
What Reservation Would Do.
That reservation would leave Con-
gress free whenever the time came to
act in accordance with it's judgment
and conscience and the judgment and
conscience Of its constituents regard
Au6 SbS A1ASA~sS ~ ~A@S ~Nt1sA ~ OF
that time.
your position as you now state it
would leave Congress bound by the
solemn pledge of faith Of our coun-
try to pass the resolution for war, no
matter what the merits 2f the con-
troverAy might be.
IF you did not mean that Congress
should he bound. you had an oppor-
tunity at that meeting in Providence
to say, agree to this reservation, or
to this part Of this reservation Your
answer is reported to have been, The
Lodge reservations never were Sc
riously suggested. II they had been,
Senator Lodge would have declared
for them in the republican platform
adopted at Chicago And thus you
sidestepped the question, and you
state in your telegram to me the per-
fectly futile thing you are willing to
do upon the subject Of article x.
Your telegram to me undertakes
to state your case, and both what you
say and what you refrain from say
ing confirm the understanding I ex-
pressed in my speech that your posi.
ton and purpose are to impose upon
the United States the COVENANT nero-
tiated At Paris without any real
change whatever