Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1920-02-10
APPROVAL BY WILSON OF
HITCHCOCK PLAN Is A
STEP TO COMPROMISE
fContinned Erom Page u

ock to say last November what
low authorizes him to state to Il
enate, namely that the president a
'roves of reservation to the treat
Text of Reservations
Here are the reservation whiC
resident Wilson refers to in h
otter to Senator Hitchcock a S tho
IL which he stands:
That any member nation pro-
posing to withdraw from the
league on two years notice is
the sole judge as to whether lis
obligation referred to in article
one of the League of Nations
have been performed as required
in said article.
That no member nation is re-
quired to submit to the league
It's council, or its assembly for
decision, report or recommends
ton. any matter which it con-
siders to be in international law
a domestic question such as i'm
migration, labor, tariff, or other
matter relating to it's interal or
coastwise affairs.
That the national policy of
the United States known as the
the Monroe doctrine, as an
nounced and interpreted by the
United States, is not in. any way
impaired or affected by the
covenant of the League Of Ma
lions and is not subject to any
decision, report or inquiry by the
council or assembly.
That the advice mentioned in
Article X of the covenant Of the
league which the council may
give to the member nations as
to the employment of their ma
val or military forces is merely
advice which each member ma
ton is free to accept or reject,
according to the conscience or
judgment of its then existing
government, and in the United
States this advice can only be
accepted by action of congress
at the time in being, congress
alone, under the constitution of
the United States, having the
power to declare war.
That in case of a dispute be-
tween members of the league, if
one of them have self-governed
colonies, dominions or parts
which have representation in
the assembly,, each and all are to
be considered parties to the dis
pute, and the same shall be the
rule if one of the parties to the
dispute is a self-governing col
ony, dominion, or part, in which
case all other self governing
colonies, dominions or parts, as
we'll as the nation as a whole,
shall be considered parties to
the dinspute and each and all
shall be disqualified from having
their votes counted in case of
any inquiry on said dispute
made by the assembly.
Reservations General
It will be noted that the foregt
lg reservations are so drawn tn;
ny nation may avail itself Of tt
anne interpretation of the govern
1ent which the United States r.
erves to itself. Under the Lode
it is not clear whetht
he United States alone would hay
he power to decide. What is tt
1eaning of advice" given by tt
ouncil or whether any nation
rec to accept or eject the advit
f the council when that nation
OF a party to the dispute and askt
o contribute toward preservir
eace.
In other words, the president sen
o be anxious not to. convey the in
rEssfdn ~ that America is selfish
sizing for eservations and is NJ
Wiling to let other countries app
he same Interpretation Of the pea
reaty in their own countries.
This is forcibly brought out
he difference between the wordir
IF the Hitchcock reservations ju
given and the phraseology of Il
Lodge reservation which starts O.
With the declaration, ''the Unit
States assumes no obligation und
article ten, ety., until congress sha
-"
What the president seems to fe
IS that if the reservation in que
Ion is specific it will convey Il
dea that the United States is pu
ing out Of the league before it ev
gets started and that other natio,
will begin to say they assume
obligations, either, until the who
structure Of moral force which h
been builG up in an effort to pr
vent future wars will not be wor
the paper upon which it is write
Issue Now is Open
For instance, the value of artic
ten, as the president sees it, is IN
whether or not there Is a pledge
use the army and navy of the I'm
ed States to reserve the territori
of any nation. Who
Boundaries have been violated by
invading army, the mere expressi
by the United States of it's disa
prevail through The medium of wor,
wide tribunal like the League of n
lions would be sufficient to Diet
an imperialtst nation from MAXI
war or a weak neighbor.
If the United States has simr
uttered, as President Roosevelt
long claimed, an expression or p1
test against Germany's prospect
invasion of Belgium the fear mig
have been engendered in the hear
oe German statesmen that Anne
can was not on the alert, and tn
her public opinion might become
inflamed as to cause her congre
to recommend even further steps
preserve peace.
What Mr.. Wilson is pleading f
is that no reservation shall
d dopted which substracts, right c
the bat, any influence of a MOI
nature which any future president
the United States may want to fl
free to exert to keep the peace.
The presidents approval of t
reservations is step I
ward real compromise. It brings t
issue out in the open. The deba
before the country now will be WI
kind of reservations shall be adol
ed. Both sides are on record in fay
Of reservations to "Americanize t
treaty"
IT,, Co E..1.