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Show Senator Knox of Pennsylvania Penn-sylvania and Hardwick of Georgia Attack Proposed Pro-posed Nations League. No Reply Made by the Friends of Covenant; Debate Heard by Large Gallery; No Applause. WASHINGTON, March 1. A bipartisan bi-partisan assault on tho proposed constitution consti-tution of the league of nations was made today In tho senate, the speakers being Senator Knox, Pennsylvania, Republican member of tho foreign relations commlt-,' commlt-,' tee, and . Senator Hardwick, Georgia, Democrat, "who retires March 4. Tho proposed constitution was sharply criticised by both senators. They do-. do-. dared It would promote war and that it contravened the Monroe doctrine, reduced American sovereignty, conflicted with the constitution and would force submission of fundamental American domestic and national questions to a world tribunal. After attacking the proposed constitution, constitu-tion, article by article, Senator Knox suggested, as a constructive measure, a substitute world organization an alter-J alter-J nate court of justice administering an international code of law. supplemented j by treaties between separate nations for :i, Arbitration and other agreements for tho -f maintenance of world peace. SAYS PACT CERTAIN TO BREED WARFARE. ' Both floor and galleries were crowded, ' but ay a result of warnings from Vice ;i President Marshall there were no deraon-Ijj deraon-Ijj fitratlons. No reply waa made from the :' I'eniucrutic side. Both speakers vigorously asserted that fJ the proposed leaguo would breed war and v not peace. Both also declared that the ' tontatlvo charter was unconstitutional, "t'i would Impair American sovereignty and lij flould submit vital domestic question's to li a foreign aupertribunal in which tho wj United States would be outvoted, in! In lieu of the proposed league, Senator ); Knox suggested a different form of world rr, organization, an International court to pr administer an international code of law pr and separato peace conventions between tho nations. Senator Knox charged that the league j now framed would "sanction, breed ' and command" wars. Senator Jlardwlck asserted that it "would require tho conscription of our on sous to police the world." w Senator Knox spoke about an hour and a half, during which thero were but few 0r Interruptions. The galleries were crowd-s crowd-s ' od and the diplomatic gallery was also t!.' virtually filled. f SAYS CONSTITUTION V 18 PLACED IN PERIL. a' ill: , T'lie leaguo of nations would require I tn's country's participation in wars of ll nations and make it impossible for Hie United States to maintain an hide-1 t Itonrient commercial policy. Senator Hard- Ry ' wu-k said. Ho declnreil tho league con- stitntion would violate the American con-, con-, !-'ttiition by limiting the power ot con-,. con-,. Kivss to provide an army and navy, re-,f. re-,f. htnoiini congress in its powers to deter-',. deter-',. mine when and for what reason the coun-; coun-; try should go to war. Untiling and prae-''rally prae-''rally destroying t lie country's treaty-itit treaty-itit l1Kl,ing powers, and also destrovlm? trie J w nl eflicary of tho tent h" amend-J..'l amend-J..'l '"cut, in that it commits to tho leaaue "' he decision of questions that are rocal r'' 'o the states over wiiich congress lias no ",; control. What he termed "evolution of prosres- h 6 democracy Into international "Jol-j "Jol-j "levlsm" was deplored bv the speaker. Me asserted that during the war the fed- Kovertimerit has usurped the power ; "', 'he stales. "I am sorry," said Penal. ir Uardwi.-k. , '""cwiwfns the league' .onstitiitton "thtit cannot hHV sta'esmen like Senator mioc instead i.f untried slalesmen like 11 1 olonel House." HARDWICK ADMITS SINGING SVAN SONG. 2 h outset of his address Senator l , nv l'k ,s;;kl, "hat this speech probably' , ",,ld l' t.io last one he will deliver in ("JUT. ? 'Wore retirement, and re-l1'- , Ul? November elections, followed I ' rl, by- lhc of the nr.ni-.tioe. tie tiumiiilstratloti con.lucted the war lh ! v.,i'C''.'.,'f'r!'1 a,,d glorious conclusion." tlw'', 1 ;'n al lh" monier-t of ictorv K il;ls;'.""i"slral'u" was l-udiated at the 'fit yu-'-!:'lr- . Jlarrlwles suggested that for , KlU SPt l,p a ''--"' ' the ieaeuc c--' Unit ',. Ll, "f, '''"'is. and that the '"' kKsue'I , 1'rPl';''.or ,x'fuse 'o admit the Ji" A 1 "'"diction. '"' ,l,a? y Keen chosen, the ,!f Hodn.:0.','1'1'"'-;- He said he opposed U 1'W "f01. " "''''."..appointed the lice-nJ' lice-nJ' 'I'lctim f,0 w'.lrlri- ami. la renh- to a 11' 'I'l-.. v., Pol.ee Russia alone. ,us- ; , , , le: V 'eigne of nations r-M'tnid t.'.Ti ,' " 'ra nr P''-'i've and aoJ, ''5 e,.r,.rt th- 'lussessions." it hnight y (Coutiuucd on rage 3, Column '.) ORATORICAL SHELL FIRE Dll PEACE PACT (Continued from Page One.) international organization comprising all the nations of the world. Senator Knox said the constitution of such an international coalition should primarily declare war an international crime and stipulate tha t any nan on engaging en-gaging in it except in self -defense be punished by the world as an international criminal. He also suggested that the constitution con-stitution provide that international disputes dis-putes be decided by an international court according to an International code defining defin-ing war; that no nation could summon another before the court unless the subject sub-ject under discussion was of common concern to the contending nations, and that jurisdiction of the court not extend to matters of governmental policy. Under such a code. Senator Knox declared, de-clared, America could not, as under the present plan, be called upon to arbitrate "the policy involved in the Monroe doctrine, doc-trine, our conservation policy, our immigration immi-gration policy, our right to expel aliens, our right to expel invasion and to maintain main-tain military and naval establishments, our right to make necessary fortifications of the Panama canal or on our frontiers, and our right to discriminate between natives na-tives and foreigners in respect to rights of property and citizenship." Minimum Loss of Sovereignty. A mong -other suggestions for the constitution, con-stitution, Senator Knox said it should provide that the countries of the two hemispheres be called upon to enforce decrees de-crees of the international court only in their respective hemispheres. "A league framed on these broad lines," he continued, "would ' carry with it a minimum of loss of our sovereignty, would relieve us from participation in the broils of Europe, would preserve the Monroe Mon-roe doctrine and would eave America from the results of European intrigue and aggression." In opening his address. Senator Knox said he wished it understood he had not secured negative conclusions in regard to the constitution of the proposed league through unfriendliness or bias. He said he was against war, even to the extent of seeing the United States make the utmost ut-most sacrifices possible, but that he wanted to feel sure that when the offering offer-ing of the United States had been placed upon the altar and burned this country should have measurably and proportionately proportion-ately advanced the cause of human liberty lib-erty and happiness. Looseness of Expression. Referring to the proposed constitution of the league of nations, Senator Knox first criticised it for " "looseness of expression," ex-pression," which, he said, characterized it throughout, and then because it appeared ap-peared to set up two operating entities for its enforcement, and "high contracting parties" and the league itself. In this connection Senator Knox said the importance impor-tance of this became apparent when It was observed that "the high contracting parties" did not comprise every member state in the league, and that therefore the "burden assumed by the high contracting contract-ing parties, whoever they may be, possibly possi-bly the 'big five,' is, crushing In its weight." The senator warned especially against leaving the central powers out of the league, saying the inevitable result would be to "drive them more closely together for mutual self -protection, thus making the formation of a second league of nations na-tions bidding for adherence from neutral states almost a certainty." "Thus, at no distant date," he continued, con-tinued, "we should have two great leagues of nations and two great camps, each preparing pre-paring for a new and greater life-and-death struggle." "Even the term league . of nations is I a deceptive misnomer," Senator Knox declared, de-clared, "for under this proposed plan the nations of the world are divided into three classes: "First, signatories of the covenant; these are not named, but it Is assumed they wi Include, and possibly be confined con-fined to, the five great entente powers; that is to say, the British empire, France, Italy, Japan and the United States; "Second, states not signatory, but named in the protocol. No information is piven as to who these states are, although, al-though, surely they will inclde such entente en-tente powers, if. any, as are now signatories, signa-tories, as well as certain other states neutral in the conflict now closirg; and "Third, those states which are neither signatories nor protocol states and which must, to be, admitted to the league, be prepared to give certain effective guarantees guar-antees as to their intention to be bound by their international obligations. These latter are outcast states and presumably include the central powers and their allies in the war. ' "Thus a leagne of nations tn the senso of all the nations Is not created by this document, nor are the states members of the league treated as equals. No Right of Secession., "They term league is a misnomer In another and really vital matter. For a ieague connotes a confederation and a confederation implies a right in the several sev-eral parties to withdraw at their will. But there is no right of secession within the four corners of this covenant. On the other hand, the aspf.ciation horo provided pro-vided for is a union in the full senso of that term as applied to our own political institutions. Once in this union and we remain there, no 7natter how onerous its gigantic burdens may become. "No matter how gieat the distaste and revulsion our people may havo for it, we must remain members until either we 1 ersuade all the states represented . in tho executive council and three-fourths of those represented in the body of dele- ; gates to bid us depart in peace, or until ; the league crumbles of its own weight or is destroyed by Its enemies, or until we fight our way out against the British empire, France, Italy, Japan, and all tne lesser states tlw are able- to persuade to join the league." Senator Krox took up the six operative bodies of the h.ague and criticised them oiio by one. - As to the body of delegates, Senator Knox's chief criticism was that the constitution con-stitution contained no rrcvirnons for their appointment, removal, compensation or tenure. Senator Knox objected to the formation of the executive council because it would be composed of t uly nine of half K hundred hun-dred states and practically would be given the power to declare war, make Its own iaws, sit as a court and pass judgment, and then determine the means .of enforcing en-forcing its judgments. "A body clothed with powers Pitch as given to this council U an anachronism,' said Senator Knox. "Tt belongs to the days of the Modes and the Persians. A union moi;e abhorrent to our traditions, free institutions and the trend of all civilized government could not be devised." de-vised." Provisions for the mandatory commission. commis-sion. Senator Kncx thought wore indefinite indefi-nite as to organization and operation. Of the bureau of labor he asked whether1 it was the intent to put labor of all countries upon an equality. "If this be the Intent, labor of this country may consider, inasmuch as France already has given notice it will be impossible to put French labor on an equality with American, whether it is proposed to bring American labor to the level of French labor, in order that there may be equitable treatment of the commerce of the two countries.'' |
