Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1920-03-09
HE is OPPOSED TO
ALL RESERVATIONS
f"cannot Understand the Differ.
ence," He Says, Between
NuIlifier and Mild Nullifer.'
HOPE OF RATIFICATION FADES
President, Adamant, Says It Is
Unthinkable That America
Will Repudiate Obligation. 4
HOPE OF RATIFICATION FADES
tBy Associated Press. ]

tBy Associated Pressl
M.ASdlNGTON. March S.-Presidenig
iison restated for Democratic Sen
treaty Hppesitieh to any
weaken the full force of Article '9nta
otherwise materially impair the pro.
VISIONS of the league covenant. Ss.s
Without saying specffcaliy whnt
qualifications he would or would moi
accept he wrote In letter to Senatet
thl.fneESn: thaf airnst the administration leader
had heard susgested were ..in- efreci
virtual nullifcations" Of the treaty
aa1eiss ssar to OF ws they applied
reservationists," the letter added, .but
] cannot understand the difference he
tween n E nn,liiier anu a mild nullihcr.H:,
DISCUSSING Article y. particularly. the
nresldent wrote that there was, no
escap,ng csc the, moral obligations which
article" though there could be no OBJ.
3}ec.ion to explaining in an interpreta-
Won wb io,, me S,o,, ,eonstitpttonnl methods SbY
to be fulfilled. The VERY heart,,' ~
the covenant, he reiterated would be
'nTHSep'iieaSpy TSa ie, nrs : We weaksning Article
tho Presidents stand made treatSN rati.
ncation a,so nigh impossible.
request ns 'tiel tha wetten He In rsTponss
Simmons. of North Carolina, lin charre}
Tor 10 the. the Democratic side OF the Senate
"A m lffl.
mise, follows in full: y. =.
The Presidents Letter
My Dear Senator Hitchcock:
coileaEuas. lsand dn TN Inat t,s one or two of your
reference to Article LIN the sag mstn
ofliHas fsa sas ssEsala
ffsSsefya,d99af fSe opsop1aais
so slngularly beclonded by misnnnras
nensio1S and misinterprctations ot
cations which are expressed In +posftivnt
terms in this article of the covenant.
we W. won moral victory over Germanv
tory won on the field of battle 'bsenns;t,
tne opinion OF the whole world swung
ne,iops ne Gnr support and the support of tho
Ms.rugEle. M It, di1 s, because our COM
mon mon profession and promise that We
mean rmeant TO establish IAN organization OF
the combined power, of free ma tionse
a,,,, mouia cneck ever invasion of right
iha nna IS serve erv to make peace and justice.
tribunal Of opinion to which ali m,;sf
submit, and by which every internas
a@ieably f lreaa9psement aspsen Mt that cannot DO
dilrectiy tiaec concerned shall be sane sane
This This promise E,rs and assurance .wcre
armisticeH and into the preliminaries nfS
the the peace itself and constitute one 5tif,
si,o, sme ~, most sacred obligations ever as.s
uonS. 1t is unthinknble thnt Americ;,
should set the example Of ignoring suSi,
Il soiemn moral engagement. -sT i'$
Insists ON Article X. ~
LOT myself; feel that I could not
LOOK 10 x, the soldiers Of our gallant armies
thing iace in my ssa,n nowsr Il did not do
obstacle that lies in the eye Wave of fyfbs tbs.
adoption Of this particular article or
,,Ied Me Gov coSenant. because We made these
Of the. world. and it was to this cause
they deemed themselves devoted ina,
to them If 1 did not do nv
utmost to fulfill the high purpose for.
which i,,y they fought.
!, 81, =, think. en- my dear Senator, we can
IL is necessary to stipulate in connecs
tion with Article x. the constitutional
our obligations under 1t. we rail-,
nothing by such stipplations and seS4
cure nothing which Is not already 80.
1t was understood as a matter Of
course at the conference in Paris that
whatever obligations any government
took under the treaty. would ofScourse
have to be fulfilled by It's usual and
established constitutional methods OF
the, conference. when the treaty wins WIS
under consideration. Hreseryat ions;s
were made to that effect by the repre-
sentatives of individual powers, aud
received in the way in which men who
nave met for business and not for talk
always receive acts of scrupulous sti-S
observation-disclosures to with indif
ferent silence. as such men listen to {,
what is matter of course and WAS
not necessary to say. Ff
No objection to Explanations.
There can. be no objection to ex-t
again what our constitutional
Is and,that our Congress alone
can declare war or determine the
causes or occasions for war. and that
1t alone can authorize the use of tho
armed forces OF the United States on
land or on tho sea. but to make sucha
u declaration would certainly be NJ
work of supererogation.
am sorry to say that the treservas,
tions that have come under my notice
are almost without exception not ili-s
terpretations OF the articles to which,
1T is proposed to attach them, but Sii@
effect virtual notifications OF those
articles. SpSsss
Any reservations which seek to tie-2
prive tho league of nations Of the forrs
OF Article y. cut at tho very heart and :
life of t:sc, covenant itself. Any league
as a matter of incontestable right ttie
political independence and integrity ofs
each OF it's members might hardly be-
more me re- than futile seraps OF paper" as as 4.
ment between Belgium and Germany.
which the Germans violated In 11i .ss5
Article n. Insures Peace. &
rteis ! \, s. wristsn INTO the
tion by Great britain and Japan. wtichs
before the war had be gun ito and SO S
many tnterests In common In the IA
rTsat 3rhtin hiaee Sy al, sa
the old IprotensIous OF poIItfcal lIf.rrft 81