The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-08-10
Forum Or The People
Some Objections to League of Nations

Some Obteett0ns to League Of Nations To the Editor of The Age-Herald:
 Your editorial headed Democratic Policy Wins in Tuesdays paper seems to me to call fcr-eomment- The policy now being followed by our government seems to me what all far seeing men in both parties have aimed at from the beginning, though the issue hassbeen befosged by partizanship. The present policy seems to me practically that advocated by the winner of the Box prize, and as close to President Wilson's policy as can be eonsid- cred safe to go.
 believe that the following will appeal at once to you as very serious reason for keep ing out of the League of Nations as at pres ent organized. At present the league is made up of fifty-fOur nations. and in the assembly each of these has equal voting power. The executive council (there would be eleven if we joined) so that majority of these mem bersS can hold permanent control of both houses of the league.
 The states of Rhode Island and Connecticut have for many. years regretted the obstinacy with which small communities cling to over representation In each of these one branch of the legislature is elected on territorial basis established long ago, before the growth of the cities, and in each one house has for many years blockedS all attempts to deprive
 
 equality with others having hundreds of times as many in that house.
 The case in the league is even worse. Their full voting control can be seized at any time by representatives of small nations, almost all bankrupt. and with the worst of records for honesty, intelligence, stability and educa- tiOn. Among them are those negro units, Abyssinia. Liberia and Haiti. There are .a dozen of which the population does not ex- ceed one million (Luxembourg has 265y 900 and Liberia under 5000 semi-civilized ne groes, though there are perhaps 1,500.OO0 jungle negroes also, of whom no census has ever been takenl. China, with 320, 100000, has the same voting power. We'll over a ajOrity can be made up by nations having in all much less population than the United States alone. and no one of which ventures to tax it's own people enough to pay running expenses in ordinary times. Do you consider any people fit for self-government which does not raise sufficient revenue for this! have never seen any standard set by which to judge of such fitness, but submit for crit icism this requirement. and the further one that for it no government shall have had to deal with serious attempt at forcible rev olution for period of five years. If these eriteria are accepted, our joining the league as at present organized would mean our put ting ourselves under the leadership of na- tiOns unfit for self-government-
 I am writing at my plantation, and far from my library, but shall be very glad to back up these statements by statistics if any one questions them. A br0ther-in-law is one of the crzziest advocates of our entering the league just as it stands. and we have had much discussion over the matter, so that l am not speaking of things which have not been carefully studied
 will add that the president of the league admitted year OF two ago that the attitude of the United States as an interested spec tator had been of high value in maintaining relations in the league If we enter, no spec tator remains whose opinion is worth cqnsid- ering unless it be Germany or Russia, of Mexico. These three have not been allowed to jOin. the last by President Wilson's express stipulation, because it was not fit for self government N. IT. BACON.
 AutaugaviIle, Ala. August 6. 1924.
 As to BurIesquikg Law Enforcement TO the Editor of The Age Herald: \ h Why all these cartoons and burlesaue On the yolskead act-the prohibition amendmentI Don't you and any other law-abiding man know that prohibition is as much of law as the freedom of the negrO?. I don't eensure or single out your paper-they all do 1t more or less Your paper (my paper) bears the name If q violatOr is fined and sentenced to prison some little twOsby-four One-gaIlus politician who happened to be in authority will pardon him and release the fine. YOa editors will continually burlesque on it. Why don't you ridicule him instead of paradihg him as a buIIy2 Why don't yOu put him out? You put him in; helped to do it, didn't you? Dr. Conner of the Birmingham Post nearly every day takes a fling at the prohibition law. I read all his articles. Some say the law is no good can't enforce it: causes the death ef too many men, too many murders, etc. The volstead act is as much law as when Mir. Lincoln signed the papers freeing the negroes, all we need is to back it up with manhood that it takes to do things.
 There are no more murders now than be- fore we had prohibition. Mir. Editor, let's unwind If we can) the rule of time and take look in the old Prentiss corner. Five were killed there in one night-three of them po- Iieemen q write from heresy). God grant we may never have the like again. The curly mustaehe dude (e6me mothers darlingl, the siIk-hat gentry won't ever rest their feet on that highly polished brass rail and blow the foam off the old schooner any more. That day. bless the Lord, is past. and all we (any laW-abiding man) has to do is do your duty as a Iaw-abiding eitizen and things along there will be better. Some seem to think it won't stand. but Mir. Editor. that is all bosh. Picture if you can saloons in our beloved Bir- minZham today What would we do? What and family for safety: For the enforcement of the law. JOHN F. BENTON.
 Birmingham. Ala
 This newspaper denies having burlesqued prOkibition. but on the other hand has con-