Show I II Why Soldiers Oppose lh the League l I This is the first of a series of eight I articles by Americas America's ace of aces- aces Captain Eddie The ar articles articles articles ar- ar portray portra a a. soldiers soldier's viewpoint of the league of nations Captain Rick Rick- r has a a. nationwide acquaintance acquaint acquaint- ance among the soldiers of the world war By EDDIE For a a. soldier the league of nat nations ons has just one meaning meaning WAR It is a contract to fight If wo we Join the league we agree to toight fight ight when called on t to do so International International Inter Inter- national lawyers and diplomatists may argue this point Some say that we may sign the league coven covenant co nt and still not fight unless we want to They argue ar- ar argue argue ar ar- gue that after our allies ames call on us we still are at liberty to go in or stay out The soldier does not look at the league covenant in this wa way He does not bother with th the law of diplomacy I We Ve sign a a. contract we must keep it We give a promise we must redeem I it tt He HA does not even think about abou I whether it is- is is morals morals morals- or orla law that binds us He only knows that if It we Ve give a a. pledge we are going to stand by it Take for instance Article 10 the war article of the league The soldier reads there that the members of the league I I undertake to respect and preserve t against external aggression the territory territory terri terri- j tor tory and independence of all other members That is the language of the covenant The soldier translates that language In his mind in the I United States lIe He then would put the I pledge If signed by hy the United States In about this form THE The United States undertakes to respect re re re- and preserve against external aggression the of all aU members members mem mem- bers of the league Add to this that to the soldier external aggression is merely a polite name for war and you have ha Article X as he sees it Everything Every Every- I thing else eise is to him just camouflage We give our word to stand ready to fight on call for any other nation i in the league that is suffering from a a. case of ot external aggression aggress Once given we have to keep it It ft Tho The trouble might come in China or Siam Greece India or Egypt We Vc might be called to fight to keep 36 Chinese in Shantung under Japanese Ja Ja- a- a I rule ule or to hold India in the British empire we might not like the job we might even sympathize wit with h the Chinese or Hindus but we should have given our word in a a. plain contract con con- tract and we should have to keep it That is th the way a a. plain soldier looks at the thc league ague contract and ninety in a hundred soldiers do not like it They have seen foreign nations an and know they are foreign to us The They y know that every foreign yn nation in i n I war as in peace acts first and last fo for r itself If a foreign nation gets into war while acting in its own interests the they y do not see why they should be shipped to Europe or Asia to help it They d do not understand why hy American blood should be shed to build up any forel foreign nation Therefore they are against taking the ore o i bUi Article X They are are arc against against the the covenant covenant cov cov- to fight in war is the solemnest t business on earth Those who hav hay e fought know this better than anybody else silo and they are against fighting fo forI for r any country except th the United States State I MEANS WAR If It article ten means what says It-says it says i it means war war more more war than the United Unite d States Stites ever had before If It we plea o ourselves s to preserve against external externs aggression slon every other member of the league we have got gat to fight light or 01 ore break our word If It we are going to fight we must ge get t ready to fight That means a a. great deal Only the man who was in the war knows how much We cant can't contract contract con con- tract for that lot of war by signing Article X and then not prepare for it i t The United States soldiers are fin fine f fighting men none finer Every soldier solier sol sol- sol sol- d dier ier who was in France knows this And when they got into the war these men were warlike enough But the they never felt that war was a regular business business business busi busi- ness with them As the people i in Europe understand it they were no not military professionals And the Amer Amer- fear ican people are not professionals The Theare They y are a fighting people when called caned out but in peace th they y refuse to be millI mill mili tary tart ALLIES KEPT US We went into the war unprepared ed d and were protected by our allies while whit we made preparations We were i In n the war nineteen months and we came cam ne e out still sun unprepared Yet we spent We had only 1 16 6 airplanes airplanes airplanes air air- planes at the front in France Prance at the end of ot the war and not one of the them was a fighting plane Yet Tet we spent spen t more than a billion dollars for aircraft The soldier of the air knows that We did not make male our own gas though we tried We did not use our own We did not have ou oui- oui own liquid fire We did not ha have e an any American tanks The soldier of th the theUne theline e Iline line Une knows that And he knows the thousands of lives these failures cost We cannot afford to go into another r I war ar thus unprepared It would cos cost t too man many lives and too much money It If we contract for wars wais all allover over the tha world we have got to prepare or suffer suf suf- fer the awful losses looses A A. soldier wh who o was in Europe during the war realizes what a burden a policy of militarism m would put on the American people H He understands how terrible would be the losses under Article X 1 if a a policy polley o of f military preparation were not adopted The soldier is against bringing European European European Euro Euro- militarism to America and ann he i is s against sacrificing American flesh an and d blood In the conflicts for which w ware we weare weare e are hot not prepared If It we go into th the ee e league of or nations we would have t to 0 choose preparation choose preparation or punishment H He e knows s it That js 15 why he does no not t want this country to go in under Article Article Ar Ar- tide X That is why he Is against th the league of nations i 1 I I I i I I |