Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1920-08-12

League in our name, insofar as the execu-
! tive authority permitted Senator Harding
as the Republican candidate for the
! presidency. proposes in plain words that
! we remain out of it. AS the Democratic
candidate, favor going in. Let us analyze
Senator Harding's plan of making a Ger
! man. American peace, and then calling for
| a new relationship among nations" as
| suming for the purpose Of argument only,
, that the perfidious hand that dealt with
| Germany would possess the power or in
! fiuence to draw twenty mine nations away
from plan already at work. and induce
| Them to retrace every step and make a
! new beginning. This would entail our ap-
| pointing another commission to assemble
with those selected by the other powers.
! With the Versailles instrument discarded,
! the whole subject of partitions and
| divisions OF territory on new lines would
| be reopened. The difficulties in this re-
! gard, as any fair mind appreciates, would
| bh greater than they were at the peace
session, and we must not attempt to con-
! vince ourselves that they did not try the
| genius. patience, and diplomacy of states
| men at that time. History will say that
grerat as was tho Allied triumph in war.
no less n victory was achieved at the
peace table. The Republican proposal
means dishonor, world confusion and de-
| lay. 1t would keep us in permanent COM
pany with Germany. Russia. Turkey and
! Mexico. It would entail. in the ultimate.
more real injury than the war itself. The
Democratic position on the question, as
expressed in the platform, is:
we advocate immediate ratification Of
! the treaty without reservations which
would impair it's essential integrity, but
do not oppose the acceptance of any reser-
walton making clearer or more specific
the obligations of the United States to
| the league associates"
PROMISES TO RATIFY TREATY
Tho first duty Of the new administration
clearly will be the ratification of the
treaty. The matter should be approached
without thought of the bitternes> the
pas The public verdict will h. neen
ronr. oi and I am confident the
friends Of world peace as It will be pro-
mo.ec ny the league, will have in num-
bers the constitutional requisite to
favorable senatorial action. The captious
may say that our platform reference to
reservations is vague and indefinite. Its
meaning, in brief, is that we shall state
our Interpretation Of the covenant as
matter of good faith to our associates
and as n precaution against any misun-
Outstanding in the future. The point is,
that after the people shall have spoken,
the league will he in the hands of its
friends in the Senate. and a safe index
as to what they will do is supplied by
what reservations they have proposed in
the past. Some months ago, in con-
trhutcd article to the New York Times,
| ! expressed my own opinion of the situa-
| ton as it then was. l reproduce it here:
There can be no doubt but that some
! senator's have been conscientious in their
desire to clarity the provisions of the
| treaty. Two things apparently have dis
| turbed them: First. they wanted to make
sure that the league was not to be an
| alliance, and that its basic purpose was
peace and not controversy. Second, they
| wanted the other powers signing the in
strument to understand our constitutional
| limitations beyond which the treaty-mak-
ing power cannot go. Dealing with these
! two questions in order, it has always
| seemed to me that the Interpretation of
! the function of the league might have
| been stated in these words:
In giving its assent to this treaty,
| the Senate has in mind the fact that
! the League of Nations which it en-
! bodies was devised for the sole pur-
pose of maintaining peace and comfy
| among the nations of the earth and pre-
! venting the recurrence of such destruc-
| tive conflicts as that through which
| the world has Just passed, The CO.
/ operation of the United States with
| the League and its continuance a
member thereof, will naturally depend
upon the adherence of the League to
| that fundamental purpose
! Such a declaration would at lea st
! express the view of the United States
and justify the course which our ma
/
the basic purpose of the League were
| at any time distorted. 1t would also
appear to be simple matter to pro-
! vide against any misunderstanding in
the future and at the same time to
meet the objections of those who be-
lieve that we might be inviting con-
troversy over our constitutional rights.
b. making a senatorial addition in
| words something like these:
1t will of course be understood
| that in carrying out the purpose of the
League the government of the United
States must at all times act in strict
harmony with the terms and intent OF
the United States Constitution which
cannot in any way be altered by the
reatymaking power"
DISCUSSES TREATY CHANGES
Unquestioned friends of the league have
clearly lays no bar against any additions
that will be helpful, but it speaks in a
firm resolution to stand against anything
| that disturbs the vital principle. We hear
1t said that interpretations are unneces-
sary. That may be true. but they will at
least be reassuring to many OF our cit
liens, who feel that in signing the treaty,
there should be no mental reservations
that are not expressed in plain words, as
a matter of good faith to our associates
Such interpretations possess the further
| virtue of supplying a base upon which
agreement can be reached, and agreement.
without injury to the covenant, is now
of pressing Importance. 1t was the desire
to get things started, that prompted some
| members Of the Senate to vote for the
Lodge reservations Those who conscien-
| tlously voted for them in the final roll
calls realized, however, that they acted
under duress. in that a politically bigoted
! minority was exercising the arbitrary
power of its position to enforce drastic
conditions. Happily the voters of the re-
| public. under our system of government,
can remedy that situation. and ] have
the faith that they will, at the election
this fall, Then organized government will
be enabled to combine impulse and ia
| ciity in the making of better world con-
| ditions The agencies of exchange will
automatically adjust themselves to the
opportunities of commercial freedom, New
life and renewed hope will take hold OF
every nation. Mankind will press a res
oute shoulder to the task of reimbursement
and a new era will have dawned upon the
| earth.