Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-09-24

UNDERSTANDING ARTICLE K.

UNDERSTANDING ARTICLE x.
Opponents OF the League Of
Nations have concentrated their fire
on What % known "a Article x OF this
c~ovpnant. And in concentrating this
Ore they have harped 80 much or
The possibilities Of American soldiers
being sent abroad on the slightest
p~rovocation to settle European dis
putes that many people have come
to believe that instead OF being q
means OF preventing war the League
Of Nations breeds war, and in every
war that It breeds the United States
must be In the front ranks both in
men and money.
Article X Of the covenant of the
League Of Nations reads as follows;
The members OF the league I'M
dertake to respect and preserve as
against external aggression the terri
torial integrity and existing political
independence OF all members of the
AEAAuEs III CA6G VI ally W a ac5ANS
sion or in case of any threat or
danger of such aggression, the coun-
ell shall advise upon the e by
which this obligation shall be full
hlled."
This article has been declared to
be the heart of the covenant. The
reason It is spoken Of as the heart of
the covenant IL because 20 many
other articles in the covenant are
based upon 1t. 1t Is a mistake to
consider Article X as something that
stands alone. The articles which
precede it. those referring to dis
armament, depend almost entirely
upon 1t. Just as a man whose life is
threatened Is unwilling to give up
his arms unless assured that he will
be protected in other ways, SO many
nations. particularly the weaker ma
lions, would not enter into an asso-
citation that called for disarmament
lnlsss some pledge were made that
would assure them Of protection
This is particularly rue in case of
The new countries that are being
created as q result OF the war and
whose integrity and sovereignty are
In special need OF exterior support.
There are two features Of Article
K that should be especially borne
in mind. In the first place. the league
undertakes to respect and preserve
the member nations against ''exter-
nars aggression. 1t has nothing to
DO with any internal trouble such as
4 revolution within q country or the
Efforts Of any dependency of a nation
seeking to secure its independence.
Secondly. Article x provides that the
council of the league shall advise"
upon the means by which the provis-
ions shall be fulfilled. If there is
trouble between nations. III council
OF the league goes into the facts in
the Ease and then advises the diff
ferent members of the league as to
the course to pursue.
An internal revolution may over
throw a power; a colony or province
may revolt and set up a government
Of its own: one country may make
voluntary cessions to another, but
with none of these has Article x any
concern. For the covenant to oper-
ae there must not only be aggression,
bu External aggression, that is. an
attack by one nation upon another.
This provision is made primarily for
the little nations that are unable to
defend themselves.
The accusation is made by oppo-
nents OF the league that this pro-
lection Of territorial integrity was
put in the covenant largely to de-
fend and protect the ~"far-hung EN-
pre- OF Great Britain. As a matter
of fact, no war in the last century
has been begun against Great Britain
to take away territory from her.
Nsither she nor the United States
would feel called upon TO invoke the
defense of the league to protect
their boundaries. They can defend
themselves No other state Is likely
to attack them with the purpose of
violating Article X. The reason for
Article X is the protection of the
weaker nations against the stronger
ones. Great nations are seldom at
tackled except in case Of a conspiracy
like that OF the recent war. and
when such a conspiracy exists. all of
the members of the league will be
anxious to join in its suppression.
And even when all the members
Of the league join in the suppression
Of 9 conspiracy It does not neces-
zarily mean war. In the first place.
any nation knowing that there would
Be visited upon it the overwhelming
owe Of the united nations. first by
universal isolation, and second. by
united military forces. viii refrain
from such conspiracies. As former
President Taft has pointed out in
discussing this Article x. I'VE en-
ploy : police force not because the