The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1920-06-08

ceptance of covenant which most of
them had never read had possession in
large measure of the press and other
methods of obtaining publicity and
thus were able to keep up a continual
cry for ratification.
People Saw its Error
The vocal part of the community
felt almost universally, as they lis
tened to each others voices, that the
whole country was with them, but
they forgot the great inarticulate
masses of the people who went 81
lently about their work and business,
who did not write letters to the news
papers or publish circulars or spend
millions in spreading their views
through powerful organs and active
associations but who simply loved
their country and thought first of the
interests of America. The debate in
the senate spread to them They read
the speeches, they listened to the ar
guments, and, what was far more i'm
portant, they began to read and dis
Gus the covenant of the league them
selves, in the street, by the firesides,
wherever men and women meet to-
gether.
They began to understand the
league. They began to know what it
meant They saw it was an alliance
and not a league for peace. They saw
that it did not mention The Hague
conventions which We all desired to
have restored as foundations for fur,
Their extensions, did nothing for the
development Of international law,
nothing for world court and judicial
decisions, and nothing looking towards
an agreement as to dealing with non
justiciable questions. These real adj
vances toward promoting peace, these
constructive measures We're all disre-
garded and the only court mentioned
was pushed into an obscure corner.
People Against 1t.
The people began to perceive with
an intense clearness that this alliance
silent as to real peace agreements,
contained clauses which threatened
the very existence of the United
States as an independent power
threatened its sovereignty, threatened
it's peace. threatened its life The
masses of the people became articu,
late. Public opinion steadily changed
and today the number of Americans
who would be willing to accept the
| covenant of the league of nations just
as the president brought it back from
Europe is negligible. The American
people will never accept that alliance
with foreign nations proposed by IT,
president. The president meantiro
has remained infeXible. He is de
termined to have the treaty as he
brought it back or nothing and tC
that imperiOus demand the people vii
reply in tones which cannot be mis-
understood. No man who thinks Of
America first need fear the answer
The Famous Article 10.
Mr.. Wilson said in a recent letter tC
Senator Hitchcock: For my own par
| am not willing to trust to the counse
of diplomats the working out of any
salvation of the world from the thing
which it has suffered" And he sale
this in behalf of an alliance whose
, representatives will all be diplomats
and politicians. They will all act il
behalf of the interests of their respec
tive countries and they will have moth
ing judicial about them. Strip the
: league of every clause which involve
the action of political representative
in the assembly and the council AM
you leave but one article in which tn
diplomats Of the league as such vii
have no power.
That is the famous Article 10. Mos
of the league covenant was prepare
by General SHUTS. of South Afric;
but Article 10 was the work of tn
president of the United States II
true this article is free from diplomat
but il rests entirely upon naked fore,
In that way peace is to be prepare
and the nations freed from war b
multiplying the opportunities for III
use of force.
Nation is Bound More.
Each individual nation is bound /
Article 10 to go to war for the prot e
ton of the territorial integrity and til
political independence of every Othf
! nation in the world at the time of Sit
nature; that is, for the protection
states some of which are not vet d
termined or established, for the pr
lection of boundaries which no ma
can define. We were to give such
guarantee and any of the countries
the league in the event of eXteriC
aggression could have demanded OF
armed assistance, and our soldiers \
sailors must then have gone forth ;
the command of foreign countries u
less we shattered all hope of worl
peace by breaking a solemn moral o
legation. The Republicans of the Sc
ate. no matter what their future fa'
might be, were determined that tt
covenant containing that article u
modified should never be ratified.
became every day clearer to them tn;
the alliance called league of nation
instead Of being a guarantee for Il
worlds peace, was breeder of W;
and an enemy of peace. AS we studio
it-and majority of senators desire
to have some league if possible whic
should be genuine league of peat