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Show THE: CITIZEN 8 ery which- plunged, the world into war does not eliminate the earlier causes IIUIIIIIIIIMIIIIimillllllllllllllllimilVIHHIllMmHIIIIIIHHIIIHIIiaiHIUIIItlMHnilHIUUlHIHmHIIIII xlHIIIIIIUttllllllllllMIIIIUIIIUIUHlIIIHU s SEEVATION FLAME 4 t of the conflict. I Illlllllllllllllll Illlll IIIIIIIIIUIIIIIIIUIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Roberts Rages in Reply to Clark rpHE solemnity with which the de- - fenders of the League put their best foot into a trap is not a little amusing. President Wilson has put both feet into it, but Mr. Roberts is satisfied to shackle himself by a sin- gle pedal extremity. is a certain dilemma which the champions of the League in their heady rush, invariably overlook. 4 The trap is baited with the phrase The 'trap , moral obligations. The Leaguers leap at it hungrily and do not realize they are in a trap until someone enlightens them.. Therefore, we enlighten Mr. Roberts most sympathetically. The dilemma is this: If the Leaguers say that a moral obligation is as binding as a legal obligation they admit that the United States is bound to make war whenever the Council so advises. If, on the other hand, they say that a moral obligation is left to the judgment of the one expected to fulfill it they i show that their League amounts to nothing, for in that case, thirty-twand possibly forty-fiv- e nations each would exercise its own judgment as to whether it were bound to heed the advise of the Council. If the Leaguers elect to take one horn of the dilemma they admit all the charges brought by those who declare that the League is an alliance for war based on militarism. If ihey take the other horn o they demonstrate that the League can enforce nothing. President Wilson, before the Foreign Relations Committee of the Senate, took the position that a moral obligation was more binding than a legal obligation, but hedged a little by saying, We have complete freedom of choice as to the obligation of force." In point of fact we have not. If the obligation exists we are bound to fulfill it. Our . only freedom of choice' is in deciding whether it exists. We do not create the obligation. Circumstances and the decision of the Council create it. It exists, therefore, before we exercise any judgment. Our only function, in that contingency, is to determine whether the obligation exists. If we suppose that each nation will split, hairs in an effort to avoid the obligation, the League will be powerless. If we suppose that each nation 4 . will be perfectly honest in accepting an obligation which comes into being as the result of circumstances over which no nation individually has any control the League will be a League of force and violence. For example, if Ireland revolts and is able to avail itself of the external agression" of a powerful coalition which invades England or India, the moral obligation of Article X comes into existence independently of any judgment the American people or their representatives in congress may form. The only question then is, whether congress will declare war if The existthe Council so advises. ence of the obligation is undeniable and congress becomes a rubber stamp" for the Leagues Council. There are other moral obligations in addition to those in Article X. for there are many cases in which the Council may advise war according to the terms of the covenant. If congress becomes a rubber stamp" it loses its constitutional pre-- rogative of being a free agent to de. cide for contingencies arising under the covenant or cannot make peace until the League gives the word,' its freedom is limited to the terms of the covenant. Those who criticise Mr. Clark for probfinding in the Alsace-Lorrain- e lem the fundamental causes of the war show an amazing ignorance of events which have been unfolded before their eyes in the last generation. Pick up any history of the recent war, whether by an Englishman,, a Frenchman, an American or anyone else, and you will see entire chapters devoted to the role Alsace-Lorrain- e played in causing the war. Mr. Clark was denounced as .because he stated an obvious historical fact and 'those who denounced him wrapped themselves in their motley cloaks of pitiful ig- at and deride the shameful ig- norance of his critics. The critics are much exercised because Major Clark said that the terms imposed on Germany might cause another war, just as .the affair led on to war. Our own opinion is that, generally speaking, the Huns got only what they deserved, but that does not blind us to the fact that the Huns will, if they can, take revenge some Alsace-Lorrain- e Because German offending was the guiltiest in all modern history, the penalty imposed has been equal to the offending, and yet we would be most unwise in our own interest were we to shut our eyes to the perils of war which lurk in the rigorous terms. The terms may mean, war, but if they are just, if they are only what they should be, then the war against Germany will be as just as was the last day. - -- war against her. ' . -- i t . would counter-coalitio- n In a word, resulted in the creation of a vast powder reservoir called militarism and Serbia was simply the spark thrown into the reservoir. Major Clark is in a position to scoff threatening proportions. He gave it as his. personal opinion that the t Alsace-Lorrain- e Illllllllll - i Major Clark took the view that we ought to provide against, that war, if possible, by creating, not an alliance, for war, but a real League pf Nations, a League which would take in so' many nations that there would be no of chance for a counter-coalition be formed and he expressed the fear that it would include Germany, Russia, Jap- - an and, perhaps, Italy. Those who. so. glibly accuse him of being forget to note, in this connection, that he objected to the covenant expressly on the ground races did not that the Anglo-Saxohave a sufficient number . of , votes either in the Council or the Assempro-Germ- an n ' bly. - The Attacks on him have sprung from jealousy, narrowness and animosity and, quite logically, have resulted in personalities. per-son- Open Main Street; Ignore Kickers VI OW that arrangements have been made to open :up South Main street to Murray there is a disposition t . on the part of the dissatisfied to load the deal with a weight that will wreck it. The important thing is to get the street opened and the promoters of the plan have obtained the grant of all but a few parcels of land. For these few parcels the county, we hear, has agreed to ..pay $25,000. We assume that all who can afford to make gifts of property have agreed to do so and that the $25,000 will go to those who are not financially able to part with their land unrecompensed. - ii (Continued on Page 16.) , pro-Geim- Buy Meat Insurance ac Castle Gate and Clear Creek Coals provide real protection against the assaults of winter. . and the famous fuels are perfect for. use in range, heater, fireplace or furnace in the home or factory. Bins filled' now with Castle Gate or Clear Creek Coal will give you a comfortable feeling of confidence in the outcome of the battle with cold weather. Clean, norance. Every historian worthy of the name traces the European war back, to e-Lorraine as one of its sources. caused The rape of Alsace-Lorrain- e Europe to array itself in two hostile camps. Germany and France each sought for allies Germany in order to keep her stolen possession, France to retake it. Finally the German milAlsac- itary power grew so strong, heat-producin- g, Dont wait until the first nip of late autumn warns you to lay in your coal supply. Lots of people will do that, and the coal man will be rushed to fill orders. Do it now 1 ASK YOUR DEALER UTAH FUEL COMPANY that France arranged an entente which included her ally, Russia, and Great Britain. The fact that Germany was. responsible for the immediate trick free-burni- ng . . al Miners and shippers exclusively of Castle Gate and Clear Creek Coals. . |