Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1920-09-28
CHAPTER V.
The Senate Takes Its Stand

The Senate Takes Its Stand
The final senate reservations-as
well as the original Lodge reserva-
tions on which they were based
did not exclude the United States
from the league of nations. They
sought merely to make America S
participation in the league conform
to the constitution of the United
States and to the historic policy of
this country's international relations.
They kept the government of the
United States supreme in the control
of foreign affairs. They retained in
the hands of congress the war-mak-
ing power. They reserved to Amer
lea, and America alone, every decision
as to sending American soldiers
across the seas. They maintained the
Monroe Doctrine inviolate and inviola-
BILE against all European interference.
In a word, they Americanized the
participation of the United States in
the treaty of Versailles. 1t was at
the dictation of President Wilson that
this Americanization was frustrated
and the treaty and the league were
rejected.
Had President Wilson accepted this
IAmericanization of the treaty, the
United States would have had formal
peace and the machinery of the league
would have been left free to work in
its proper sphere. But the president
would not tolerate reservations. He
regarded them apparently as en-
croachments on the part of the senate
Yet the making of such reservations
was no new thing. The senate has
repeatedly incorporated vital reserva-
tions in its ratification of treaties and
international agreements. 1t did so
| in it's concurrence in the treaty with
Korea of 1882, the convention to sup
press slave traffic of 1890. the Inter-
national Patent Convention of 1891
the Russian Corporation Treaty of
1904, the Algeciras Convention OF
1906, the Hague Conventions of 1907
the Extradition Treaty with Portugal
of 1908, the Panama treaty of 1909
and the Arbitration treaty with Great
Britain of 1911.
The most vital reservations which
the senate wrote into its resolution
of ratification of the treaty of Yer
sailles concerned Article 10 of the
covenant. This article provides:
"The members of the league under
take to respect and preserve against
external aggression the territorial in
tegrity and territorial independ-
ence of all members of the league
In case of any such aggression or in
case of any threat or danger of such
aggression the council shall advise
upon the means by which this obli-
cation shall be fulfilled"
On this automatic commitment oi
the United States to participation in
foreign controversy and bloodshed
the senate reservation provided a dig
nified but complete check. The reser'
vation No. 2, reads:
"The United States assumes no OBJ
legation to preserve the territorial in
tegrity or political independence ot
any other country by the employment
of its military or naval forces, its
resources, or any form of economic
discrimination, or to interfere in any
way in controversies between nations
Including all controversies relating tt
territorial integrity or political inde
pendence, whether members of th'
League or not, under the provisions
of Article TO- or to employ the military
or naval forces of the United States
under any article of the treaty fol
any purpose, unless in any particular
case the congress, which, under th'
constitution, has the sole power Il
declare war or authorize the employ
Iment OF the military or naval force
of the United States, shall, in tn
lexercise Of full liberty OF action, b.