The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-10-14
BORAH SAYS LEAGUE
PLEDGES U. S. ARMS
obligation Fully Disclosed
by Controversy Between
Spencer and Wilson.
REAL WORKINGS Barred
Presidents Empyrean Theories
Are Swept Aside by Cold
Facts.

MANCHESTER, n. H., Oct 13.--Presi-
dent Wilson In n speech at the Peace.
Conference, already subject of widely
published controversy between him and
! Senator Spencer of Missouri declared
that III any covenants OF this settle
meut are not observed the United States
Will send her armies and navies to see
that they are Observed" Senator Borah
OF Idaho asserted in an address here
tonight.
''The controversy between Senator
Spencer and the President has been In
teresting." said Senator Borah mot so
much because II may illustrate tho
fallibility OF memory, but because II
shows how this league looks when you
begin to view II in It's practical work.
ings. The moment you descend from
the opalescent empyrean Of theories to
the world of concrete things 1t looks al
/ together different. So long as you con-
fine yourself to the league on paper
ana dwell In the world of rhetoric every
thing seems well.
| But when you get down to the actual
workings OF the league 1t seems harsh
and autocratic and altogether objection
able. When they tell US that the league
! will bring peace. everybody wants peace
and so favors the league. But when
you turn from theory to fact and see Il
obligates us to send our boys across
the sea, our army and our navy, it
creates an uproar OF disapproval and
hastens explanations and denials. Yet
that is precisely what the league in its
practical workings means
| G. o. r. Charges Sustained.
There are two things stated in the
( speech President Wilson put out as
authoritative which sustain every
! charge we have ever made against this
/ gigantic autocracy based on force. The
| first statement reads as follows: And
back of that lies the fundamental and
| important fact that when the decisions
! are made the allied and associated
| Powers guarantee to maintain them.Y
How are you going to maintfin
them except by sending the army And
navy across the seas? We have first
the solemn guarantee OF the allied and
| associated Powers to maintain all de-
| cisions and all boundaries. AS to how
| we are going TO do this IL answered by
the President himself in another place
! in the same speech in which he says:
III any covenants Of this settlement are
not observed the United States will
send her armies and navies to see that
. they are observed, We must not
close our eyes to the fact that in the
last analysis the military and naval
strength of the Great Powers will be
the final guarantee of the peace of the
world
when the President was before the
Foreign Relations Committee Senator
Knox asked this question: Suppose that
1t Is perfectly obvious that there is an
external aggression against some Power,
and suppose IL is perfectly obvious and
accepted that 1t cannot be repealed exN
cept by force of arms, would we be
under any legal obligation to partici-
pateT The President replied to this:
No. sir, but we would be under an abb
solutely compelling moral obligation
Obligations All Same.
II take II that It will not make very
much difference TO the American people,
! to the sons and mothers OF America,
whether you call 1t legal obligation or
a moral obligation or what you call It.
II It is an obligation absolutely COM
polling and from the execution of which
there Is no escape. Is It not perfectly
plain that we guarantee the settlements
and the boundaries of Europe and that
TX there is an actual disturbance of these
boundaries we are under an absolutely
compelling moral obligation TO send our
! armies and our naves across the scar
Is 1t not equally plain that we are carry
ing out the decisions of these men repre-
senting the whole world, the divisions
which they made, the boundaries which
they established. and that we are doing
so by the blood and treasure Of America?
III Is a startling proposition that the
American people should be asked IN
send boys TO Europe to restore every
boundary line which the intsigues ana
inperialistic schemes of Europe NAV
disturb. But It is still more startling
that we should be under an absolutely
compelling moral obligation to send our
army and our navy to fight back into
subsection every subject people who IN
their struggle for liberty may enlist the
sympathy of some humane people. IF "A
people. fighting for liberty, are fortu-
nate enough to have some one come IN
their aid, or X the boundary line of anv
nation In broken. we are under an abso-
lutely compelling moral obligation 10 GO
into action and to transport our navv
and our army to foreign shores and 70
foreign seas, there to suffer and die In
cause which may not represent any,
thing In tho world except the imperial
istic ambitions OF some uncomfortable
Power.
But that is not the worst Of Il. These
interpretations taken in connection with
Article X. and Article XII. and with the
power whicA IL conferred upon the
/ Council disclose that we guarantee the
decisions OF this Council. They disclose
that nine men representing the inhabit-
/ ants OF the earth may make a decision
relative to the invasion or boundary
lines which we are under an absolutely
compelling moral obligation 10 sustain.
At the top of this scheme are nine auto
Gratis vested with such power as men
were never vested with before, and from
whose decision there Is no appeal pro-
vided for. AT the base OF this scheme
are the countless millions OF people who
may be under a completely and abso-
Iutely compelling moral obligation 20
execute the decisions of this autocratio
council This is what Lloyd George
meant when he said In the House of
Commons that under the pledges of the
league the United states would have
come into this war In Europe upon the
first day instead OF two years after.
What we have provided by this
eague Is that one man shall represent
The whole American Republic lie IA
TO be accredited to this world body by
the American people with all the orderly
.anctity that the Government can give.
He will sit there to pledge by his solemn
vote tho money! and men OF our cottrtrv