The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1920-02-20
MISUSE or WOODS AND OTHER
THINGS


ment of facts could put the league 81
nations over on the country. they
would have long ago been accomplish
ed
This paper is deyoutly sincere in
making the statement that those of US
who favor the league of nations are
Iactuated by motives as lofty and a
sincerity of purpose as appealing and
! inspiring as those who suffered mar
| tyrdom for conscience sake.
"A misstatement Of facts?'' No.
indeed.
| Those of US who favor the ratifica
ton of the league of nations have
never attempted to poison the minds
of the great body of the common peo
pie by saying that its adoption would
give Great Britain six votes to Amer
ica's one; that it would give the black
races and the yellow races dominion
over the white races. that it would
be q strangulation of the @Menrse
doctrine" and an infringement on the
constitution of the United States to
which we have sworn fealty.
| That those who favor the league OF
nations are more international than
national, raising the assumption that
its advocates are un-American and are
putting our country at the mercy OF
foreign powers to be tramped upon at
every within of any of the autocracies
of the earth.
Never was any subject of great con-
Germ more basely and enormously
stated by its antagonists.
In the construction of the league
of nations it was the intention of the
trainers to throw every protection
and safeguard around the smaller and
weaker nations so that they would
suffer no injury at the hands of the
stronger powers.
Just as the trainers of our constitu
tion endeavored to protect the smaller
and weaker states from the rapacity
of the more powerful ones by making
| their voice as potential in one branch
of the congress as the bigger states.
Thus. for example, while New FORK
has preponderating vote in the
house of representatives in the senate
her vote is no weightier than the
sE aliest state in the republic.
The, league of nations is framed in
the same manner and with the same
purpose in view so far as distributing
power among the larger and smaller
nations is concerned as is proposed
/, in the unification of the Northern and
Southern branches of the Methodist
church in the United States.
In speaking of which Bishop James
Cannon, Jr., says:
1.-THE proposed constitution is like
all other constitutions in that it does
not express in every particular the
lopinion and preferences of any one
man. Probably every member of the
Joint commission would prefer diff
iferent statement of some one CT -.lJ:
provisions, but that is true of tie IS.
lent diciplines of the churches, sud, IL
deed, of all constitutions. Witt that
is true, it is also true that the Dropos
| ed constitution does represent III
best combined judgment of the JOINT
commission and their best solution OF
| the various matters involved in plan
of Unification.'
And again:
Another result obtained by the
adoption of the regional conference
plan is the protection of min0rities.
BY the proposed constitution the gen
| eral conference is composed of dele
gates from the several regional juris-
dictions. Whenever a majority Of
/ each of two regional delegations in
| the United States shall SO request, a
vote shall be taken on any pending
motion or resolution. including amend
ments to the constitution, by regional
delegations, and it shall require the
concurrence of two-thirds OF the
regional delegations in the United
States, the members of each regional
delegation voting as one body, TO
adopt said motion The practical re-
suit of this provision is. so far as the
South is concerned, that if any two
southern regional delegations request
that a vote be taken by regional dele
cations on any pending motion or res
Iolution, including amendments to the
constitution, it will require five out
of seven regional delegations in the
United States to adopt said motion
or rnsoiutiOn A PROPOSAL to amend
THE constitution under similar call
for a vote by regional delegations
would not only require three-fourths
of the members of the several annual
conferences present and voting upon
the proposed constitutional change.
1T is difficult to see how the right
lof minorities can be more carefully
isafe-guarded than by this proposed
Eplan. and in the opinion Of the writer
lit would be exceedingly unreasonable
to insist upon any greater protection
And by no possible construction OF
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