The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-08-30
HUGHES-KNOX
PACT CARRIES
LITTLE JOKER
League of Nations
Door Is Left Open
for u. s.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
Especial TO The Argns.l


Washington, Aug. 30.-Is there a
joker in the Hughes-Knox treaty
Just signed between the United
states and Germany? The question
being asked by many who have
closely studied the text of the docH-
meat and discovered that the
United States has not closed the
door to possible membership in the
League of Nations after all and that
at any moment the executive
branch OF our government can con-
sent to be bound by the covenant
without the consent of the senate or
congress.
Lodge Reservations Sidestepped.
The joker is contained in article
two of the new treaty which con-
tains permissive clauses so broadly
phrased as to permit president or
secretary of state to bring the
United States into the league with
out even referring the matter to
congress. The senate once before
foresaw such a possibility and in
the original Lodge reservations to
the Versailles pact, the senate
lrreconcilables" used language
that would have prohibited the
executive fromi assuming any obli-
cations under the league covenant
without the express consent OF
congress" The Lodge reservations
also prohibited any American cit
izen from ever serving the league
and forebade American participa-
Sion in any commission of the
league without the consent of con-
gress- The opponents of the Lodge
reservations insisted that such
viewpoint was inconsistent with the
constitution which gives the execu-
tive broad powers to deal with for
eign governments but in the heat
of the controversy the objections
went unheeded.
Now, however, when the final
word is being said about our treaty
relations with Germany, no prohi-
bition against future membership
in the league or any of its commits
sions is made The two important
paragraphs of the new treaty bear
ing on this point read as follows:
The Significant Paragraphs.
THAT the United States shall not
be bound by the provisions of part
one of that treaty covenant of the
League of Nations in Versailles
treaty. nor by any provisions Of
that treaty which relate to the
covenant of the League of Nations,
nor shall the United States be
bound by any action taken by the
League of Nations or by the coun-
Gil or by the assembly thereof un-
less the United States shall ex-
pressly give its assent to such ac-
ton
That while the United States is
privileged to participate in the
reparation commission, according
to the terms of part eight of that
treaty, and in any other commission
established under the treaty (of
Versailles) or any agreement sup
Elemental thereto, the United States
is not bound to participate in any
such commission unless it shall
elect TO do So
The above provisions make 1t
clear that the United States isn't
bound" by the covenant unless it
gives its consent. The council OF
the League of Nations operates any
way under rules requiring unani-
nous agreement so America could
not be bound anyway unless she
gave her consent. But the phrase
unless the United States shall ex-
pressly give its consent to such ac-
ton" significantly omits reference
to congress as was insisted upon SO
specifically in the Lodge reserva-
tiors. And the words United
States" have always been inter
preted to mean the president or sec
retary of state unless treaty
were being negotiated. i
Hughes Outwits "Irreconcitabies.
The signatories OF the original