| Show I Lei Lev us have faith that faith that right makes might and andin andin andin in that faith let us us to tho the end dare to do our duty as we understand it Lincoln The League Issue t P PROTAGONISTS of the League of Nations arc rc dc de If to cloud the issues of tile the Paris CO as they exist today The They have cd to madly proclaim pro ro claim that the decision is one olie between war and peace Instead they resort to the subterfuge of ratification or ur rejection The They fain would forget that the tile e of the day in the Die United States is tf is Shall Shull we mak e American reservations cser or shall we wc let Europe points of the document after we have our national voice oice The They have ha ceased to rant of th the e most perfect document and now readily admit that i il it ilis iti t i is imperfect Their course now appears in ill this light that the tile imperfections ma may be eliminated 1 by the league e council in ill in future amendments 5 The situation before the world today is that a n constitution con constitution for a a. League of Nations h has been drawn and fi signed ned in Europe Jt It is now open to the time Jion Sio on of the peoples of the tile world without whom it cannot can can- not nol endure Jn America some sonic serious questions have hav e been raised ed concerning concerning- the ultimate effect on the tile institutions institutions of the United States Briefly these embrace e the tIle right to withdraw from the time league unconditionally tin SIll n two years years' cars notice purely American control over ove r purely domestic questions retention of the Monroe doctrine doctrine doc doe trine and the understanding that American armies es cannot cannot can can- not be subject to the call of the league council except t by by Special permission of Congress in iii each specific case S These have been characterized as American reservations reserva 1 tin ons because they arc guarantees which ch arc lre necessary to the future of the thc nation No o one has the time justice justice jus jus- jus- jus tice tiec of the claims made by those advocating reserva reserva- toris Eyen Even the time most fanatical supporter of the exist exist- lug ii document docs does l not Ot say the people of this country want vant the right to with draw from the league unconditionally on two years' years notice that we arc are opposed op op- posed to purely purel American control over ocr domestic questiOns questions ques ques- thai the te doctrine is m a crap of paper lor ir that hiat o our r armies s shall shan be ordered d d' d to fo war lr without time consent of Congress No American ris rises to say we e arc opposed to these timings things What then is the attitude of th the protagonists of the thc Paris covenant They acknowledge the time justice o of every res reservation r which h has bc been beCu n proposed and none will dare to say that America is not entitled to everything every every- thing asked in iu these reservations This is the truth that is not faced by the tile campa campaigners who tour lour the country coun coun- try in behalf of the thc Paris document The They hide it byan byan by an effort to distort the issue as being one bet between ratification and rejection The Tue great majority of the American citizenship is for a League of Nations that will not denationalize the time country They are arc for the particular covenant before l us lS if it respects American rights which can ean never neve r justly be delegated to another government Here is the time point int where American people meet the place where they all aU ll look for the same light They differ only on the issue issue of American reservations It is not an issue issup between be be- tween war and peace it is not an issue between Rati rati i tion and rejection tion of the covenant it is an issue between haste which mig might t leave America misunderstood stood tood Stood and caution which would make our position clear r before all aU the world Protagonists of the time Paris ena co covenant t d declare clare that all the the reservations sought ht iA in the are treaty Critics de- de clarc the they are are vaguely stated if they are included at atall t 5 all U. U There is a difference o ot of opinion right here at nt home i as to what t the league provisions ns say and mean If w born bora and reared in the same land imbued with llie same ideals ideals' with a n community of interests can an disagree djs Iee as' as to as-to to the time meaning 0 of phraseology what is g going going ng to happen when these Fa same e. e provisions pro are ares areen given en ton it ft council composed of of- delegates delegate's of f. f different id alti Cj different b beliefs of f different colors and of differ differ- degrees ent-degrees lr s of dc l' l Is Iw it no not t r reasonable to 10 ex exa ex 1 1 a difference e of opinion to arise beside which winch the existing discussion would app appear ar as amole hill lull 1 T There is only onh time when one American reser reservations jean n be made and an 1 U that at is before the league ue constitution JiB formally ratified This Timis is where the issue of the day in i 1 the thc League of Nations consideration in the United States Lates arises Proponents of the Paris document without without with with- out t change while chile admitting the justice of the suggested American merican reservations reser want immediate arid ami instant rati fhe They excuse this tIlis attitude altitude with the declaration that the tile constitution is open to amendment and that the l J league ague council can make the tile desired changes chang later They an can but hut will wilI they We TC must understand that no Amer Amer- 1 jan ican an reservations ons can be made by the league ue council That the American viewpoint will be lost just as soon a as s it becomes subject to the majority vote of Eur Europe pe 77 League proponents think they know what the thc pro pro- of f the constitution mean meun and they think they they mean that the reservations asked have havo already been granted That is an interpretation tation that is disputed at Home and unsupported abroad If the disputed pro pro- visions do not mean what the league proponents think they mean menn and amid what those seeking reservations ask t to 10 lj C them mean mean what is the United States States' going to do about it it iV I Unless we enter the league ue stipulating what we c believe the time mooted points to mean the time answer must come from Europe fh league council must de decide and t then en it w would uld be Joo oo late to protest We e would be hound bound to accept the thc interpretation of Europe regardless of its effect upon our oum people Noth ing i g short of war Avar could relieve us of the burden entailed 1 by Y fu failure lure to be explicit in accepting international Let the Ule citizenship keep s sight of the fact that tha t m ricart r reservations cr can only b be made now ow before th the e i y is ratified Reser Resen Reservations ti hs or r amendments which f nr f at some su subsequent sequent dale date will be made b by the th e t j council qun iI a and d will be s subject to the majority vote vot e oX If the reservations are arc not acceptable t tu li ei i Europe the theaTis fa is document mien t c. c oc c to u us s because use the tIme reservations ask only what even the league e enthusiasts concede to be the indispensable rj rights o of f our people |
