Evening star., 1922-01-02
military ALLIANCE,
B0RAH CALLS PACT
Speaking at Church, Senator
Offers Amendment to Four
Power Treaty.

The four-poWer treaty was called
purely and simply a military alliance
in an attackVon it made by Senator
Borah of a laho yesterday afternoon
at the Churlh of the Covenant. in his
first public speech on the subject out
side of the Senate.
He proposed as test as to wheth-
er or not it was a peace or a mill
Ltary alliance that the contracting
powers accept the following reserva-
ton:
THE high contracting parties agree
to restore within one year and there
after forever to respect the rights,
interests. territory and sovereignty
of all nations, or governments, hav-
ing rights and interests in the region
OF the Pacific, and failure to do so by
any one of the high contracting par
ties shall terminate all obligations
under article H."
signers Are AgEressors.
"The 'aggressions' In the far east
for the last fifty years have been upon
the part of nations" he said. which
vent aggressions. 1t is the members
of this alliance who have. during re-
cent years. disregarded the rights of
other nations and peoples. and not
the nations which are on the out
side of the alliance. The disturbances
in the far east and the things which
! threaten war arise out of failure Of
the nations now proposing to form
! this alliance to regard the rights Of
other nations. and not out of the acts
OF those who are excluded from the
alliance. There would be no far east
ern question of disturbing nature II
the members of this proposed alliance
had respected the rights of the weak
or more peacefully disposed peoples
Of the east. Let the alliance there
fore specifically provide that the al
lance itself and each and all Of it's
members viii respect the rights and
sovereignty and interest of other peo-
pies and let 1t be provided that if they
do not, the alliance is dissolved.
I think one of the most interesting
and Illuminating >revealments Of
| modern diplomacy is this proposition
that the nations which have been
doing all the aggressing.' or attack
Ing. should get together and solemnly
form an alliance against those nations
who have not been guilty of any such
things. You would not need any al
| liances in the far east il it were not
| necessary to protect the territory
which has been unjustly obtained by
the members of the alliance.
Protests Against Guarantee.
Il protest against the people of the
United States being asked to guaran-
and war which may be brought about
or inspired by the wrongdoing of
| members of the alliance itself.
so far as this treaty including the
| mainland of Japan is concerned, while
| that is important. 1t is by no means
treaty. If any nation should attack
| any island belonging to Japan we
would be involved just as truly as II
| 1t attacked the mainland Of Japan.
Unless this alliance is stripped Of its
mllitaristic features. it would be the
most dangerous treaty the United
states could possibly sign. It would
| destroy any possible good which has
come from this conference in the way
of disarmament. If the last ten years
| are any indication at all of the next
ten years. war will inevitably come in
the far east, but it will come by rea-
son OF two facts. First. that the ma
tions are armed to the teeth, and
second. that the armed nations and
the allied nations are doing. all the
| attacking and committing all the 'ag-
gressions.'
Are the members of this alliance
| willing to restore the territory, the
franchises. the privileges. which other
peoples claim have been taken from
them unjustly and which are now the
| cause of all the troubles in the far east
II not, then this alliance must intend to
hold these things regardless of the JUS
| tice OF their holding. Are they willing
| to arbitrate these matters? II not, then
| they must intend to hold them by force,
| and regardless Of the language Of the
| alliance. it becomes an alliance by force
la military alliance. In other words.
the basis Of any alliance other than a
sheer military alliance must be Justice
| must be Righteousness. An alliance not
founded upon these things is not, and
| never can be. other than an alliance
based upon force. In other words, a
military alliance-and that is precisely
what this is. 1t was made for that pur-
pose. 1t will be executed in that
spirit