Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1921-11-28
BORAH SAYSlT
IS0LDLEACUE
WITH.NEN name
Idaho Senator Launches At
tack on Presidents CAS-
sociation of Nations"
UNLIMITED POWERS
Asks Why The 43 Nations Rat.tying
Old League of Nations Should
Abandon 1t For New.

Washington, Nov. 2S.-1n the first
specifc attack to come from Senator
ial sources, Senator William +. borah
of Idaho, one of the "irreconcilaDles
in the Versailles Treaty fight de-
nounced President Harding's program
for an association of nations" to
follow the present Arms Conference.
Senator Borah asserts that from
what can be gathered about the pro.
posed association, which has not YET
heen reduced to form, it is merely the
old League of Nations under another
name" He asked why the 43 nations
ratifying the League should now
abandon it for an association. :,
Senator Borah's statement IN 1ui!
follows:
"The proposed association OF ma
+;ons has not been reduced to form
nor vet defined. But from what one
can Gather here and there it is the
oId Ieaque of Nations under another
name. 1t will be engaged in precisely
the same kind of work and doing the
same kind of things that were pro.
posed by the League. 1t IS not "hat
YOU call it. but what it is, that counts;
Fundamentally and is the practlcai
workings of the association OF nations
it will not differ from the League OF
Nations. / see no reason. therefore,
why the 43 nations which have signed
the League should be asked to aoan-
don it and transfer their names to an
association of nations. If we want to
90 into this kind of proposition there
Is no reason why we should not expert
ment with the one they have 1t Is
claimed by the advocates Of the Lea
que that the present League has been
of much service to Europe. II so much
service to Europe. If SO there IS no
reason for asking Europe to scrap
the old one and taking on new one.
If we are going into Europe, we ought
to 20 in. If not, we ought not to oe
handing her new league every W
days. She will likely conclude tnat
after the next Presidential election
she would have another league. see
no difference whatever in joining the
present League and joining another
league by new name.
"The United States operates under
a written constitution. Great Britain
has no written constitution. One OF
the arguments being put forth now in
favor of the association of nations IS
that Mr.. Wilson made mistake 1T
giving his plan a written constitution
that we should adopt the British idea
and undertake to conduct the League
or an association Of nations without
any written constitution or written
covenant whatever. In other words,
that the new association will consist
of representatives Of different govern
ments coming together with no llmita-
ton upon their jurisdiction or power
or authority other than their own dis
cretion. 4 conclave Of diplomats sit
ting behind closed doors with nothing
to direct or limit their powers save
their own will and discretion would
be rather interesting proposition. l
am inclined to think that if the Ame-
rican people choose league they will
choose one which has it's powers de-
fined, or, at least, an attempt to de-
fine them, rather than trust their des-
tiny to tn unbridled discretion of a
few men.
"Lloyd George suggested some time
ago, according to the press dispatches,
that the Anglo-Japanese alliance be
extended to an Anglo American-Jap-
anese alliance and that this alliance
take upon itself the duty of administ-
ering China. Now, it is said that such
an alliance would be wholly objection
able to the American people, but that
under an association of nations the
same thing could be effectuated and
accomplished 1t is also being urged
that while the people of the United
States would not be willing to form
an alliance with France and Great
Britain to guarantee the security of
France, the same thing could be ac-
complished under an association of
nations without any constitution
''It is also urged that the interna-
tional debt could be more successfully
manipulated through the association
All of which things simply disclose
that the association of nations is an,
other name for the League with some
additional and more extensive power:
annexed.
ut does not appear as yet whether
we are to have two leagues or one
league and one association CT whe-
ther it is to be that the league or.
,ganized by Mr.. Wilson will be merged
INTO the association organized by
PRESIDENT Harding. 1t will be very
d;9icult to get rid of the present Lea.
, unless the Versailles treaty is
sseJ;cslly modified but presume we
Will lnow more when the matter is
r.drc,d to such concrete from as will
an.bI. US to grasp it or at least try
to doso.