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Show TAFT OUTLINES , LEAGUE PLAN Puts It Into Plain Language Free From Legal and Diplomatic Verbiage, in Response to Request. Re-quest. MANY ARE CONFUSED BY PRESENT DEBATE Danger That People Will Lose Sight of Baslo Principles During Dur-ing Discussion of Complicated Details and Technicalities. (By ex-Pretldent William H. Taft.) Tho plon for n Leaguo of Na-tlons Na-tlons Is based on n few simple, principles, which nro not hard to understand when lifted out of tho morass of technical discussion discus-sion and freed from legnl and diplomatic language. As tho ono authority best nhlo to present pre-sent these points without partisan par-tisan bins, ax-I'rcsldent Taft has been asked to put tho leaguo Idea Into n few plain words for tho benefit of millions of Americans who deslro n better bet-ter understanding of tho plan but find themselves confused by tho debate In tho United States Senate. In response to this le-qucst le-qucst ho has written tho following follow-ing article. Purpose of the League. Tho chief purposo of the Lcnguo of Nations Is to keep tho world In a state of peaco. Another wny of expressing ex-pressing It Is to say that tho leaguo Is designed to prevent wars. Wo havo Just finished tho greatest, which Is to say tho most horrible, of all conflicts between nations, Wo havo won a glorious victory, liut that victory will bo wasted unless this war has made tho notions ready to put nsldo their differences and cooperate co-operate to end war forever. It Is not enough, however, to pro-vldo pro-vldo for tho prevention of wars nnd the settlement of disputes after they havo arisen. Wo must foresee causes of trouble und remove them before they have reached an ncuto stage. Ilenci! thero must bo provision for fro-ipient fro-ipient consultations of members of the league for exchnngo of Information, for agreement on common policies and for the gradual formation of rules of In t "-'n t lomit law which at present aro uncertain nnd Incomplete. Tho representatives ot tho great froo nations which won tho war have met at Purls and, nfter long consultation, consulta-tion, havo drawn an agreement which they bellovo will accomplish tlieso ends. At the very lenst It will set In motion grent chnnges which will result re-sult In universal benefit to all mankind. man-kind. This agreement Is called tho Covenant of tho Lcnguo of Nations add It Is a part of tho nerfco treaty. Thero will bo no leaguo worth talk-Ing talk-Ing nbout, however, unless Uid United States Is a member. Tho decision as to whether tho United States shull Join rests with our Senate. Tho Senators, Sena-tors, chosen by tho people, will In tho end voto ns tho peoplo desire. For this reason tho people themselves will decide whether or not tho United States will Join tho league. In this question, every citizen should huvo a voice. Ho or sho can express opinion cither by writing direct to Senators, by letters to tho newspapers, by speeches In his lodgo or local union or lu conversation with friends. - Methods of Maintaining Peaee. Since tho prime object of, the Leaguo of Nations Is to preserve peaco nnd to reap tho benefits of pence lot us sco how tho leaguo will operate to accomplish that purposo. . " In tho llrst place It will seek to re-novo re-novo tho main causes of war. By the formation of an International court It will crcato a means for tho jpaceful settlement of disputes between' nations. na-tions. Then It will seek to compel tho nations to malto uso of this court This Is nothing moro nor less thin an application of tho rules and customs governing private Individual!! In civilized civil-ized communities to tho relations between be-tween nations. Secondly, the Leaguo will seek to re. move n great tcmptntlon to, w.ar by tho general ugreement to. rcducp 'tin) size of armies nud navies. This will halt the rncu for military and naval supremacy which was largely responsible respon-sible for tho wnr Just ended. The amount of armament any nation may maintain will be strictly', defined. Thus It will bo Impossible for one fountry to overwhelm Its neighbor by uncxp'cclcd attack, In tho wuy that (iermany crushed llclglum nnd would have crushed France had not tho other democratic nations gone to herald. The Idea Is that each country may kw.-p an army and navy largo enough to enable en-able It to fulfil Its responsibilities at n member of tho League, but no. larger. Tho United Stutes, for example, probably prob-ably would bo expected to 'keep n check on Mexico and tho state' of constant con-stant turmoil In (lint country1 would be tnkcu Into eonsld"nitlon In decldlnt how lurgu nn army wo should need. Tho third Important safeguard which tho LangRO will art up Is a system sys-tem of penalties. This wllljuako nr outlaw of any nation or group of nn tlons which goes to war lii.lViolatloi of thn rules of the Leaguo. "The out- , " - - - lowed nation will be boycotted by all the other members of the League and will find Itself cut off from both business busi-ness nnd social communication with tho rest of tho world. How It Will Prevent War. It Is not claimed that the League ot Nations will do away with war alto--gethcr. Every possible provision that human Intelligence can devise will be made to settle International disputes peaceably, liut Bhould all theso measures meas-ures fall and two nations go to war this Is what will happen: If both parties to the dlsputo have observed tho rides of the League, the other nations will stand back nnd lot them fight It out. War under Hitch circumstances Is dlfllcult to Imagine, howovcu-, becauso beforo the nngry nations na-tions will bo allowed to fight In accordance ac-cordance with the rules, of tho League, so much tlmo must elapse that In nil probability their nnger will cool nnd they will reach an amicable understanding. under-standing. .What wo havo to fear In that some nation will go. to wnr In defiance of tho League, und every precaution has been taken to suppress such u nation by tho Immediate uso of tho united power of tho other nations. If International Inter-national boycott failed to bring her to terms sho would havo to face a combined laternntlonal army and navy. Tho founders of the League believe be-lieve that the mere possibility of such a situation will provent any nation from vloluttng Its agreement. Does any ono think that Germany would have bogun war flvo years ago If she bad known that nearly nil the other great powers would combine against her? Doing the World's Work. In addition to settling International disputes peaceably tho Leaguo of Nations will provide means for doing much of tho world's work more systematically sys-tematically and effectively than cun . 1. bu doiiu now when eaih nation Is working only for Itself. Tho peoplo you know best nnd like best are those who work with you on the sumo Job. It will be tho suiuu wny with tho nations of the future. The moro they work together, tho sooner they will come to understand und like each other. Kor example, tho League will establish estab-lish an International organization for the bettering of labor conditions lu different voiintrlok, for tho protection of women and children and tho native Inhabitants ot civilized und seml-civll-Ized countries. Ono of Germany's greatest crimes has been her barbarous barba-rous treatment of the helpless people In some of her colonies. One of the chief tiisks of the League will bo to look after peoples that are not strong enough to protect themselves. Tho League will appoint commissions commis-sions to tako charge of various Inter, national undertakings so thut they inay'l.o cnrrled on, not for the benefit ot tiny one nation, but for the benefit ot tho wholo world. I'rovUlou will be mudo for promotion of fair and equal trado conditions. These lire only a few of the benefits the world will derlvo from the Leaguo. As tlmo goes on wo shall Hud more and moro tusks ut which the nations can work In common and a greater number of opportunities to remove causes which stir up Jealousies und. animosities between races und peoples. Objections Answered. Of courso wo cannot hopo to mnko the great changes such as tho League of Nations will bring about without opposition. Fortunately the war hus taught us the great advantages of International co-operation. It was only by good team work that the free liberty loving nutlous w'ero able to whip Germany, Tho. treaty which the United States Senate Is debuting obligates the members mem-bers ot the proposed League to protect pro-tect ono another ugatnst attack from enemies outsldo their own boundaries , bent upon conquest. Although this agreement (Article X ot the Covenant) Cove-nant) Is vital to any arrangement which seeks to prevent wnr, It has .bjeji,uackjs( on. Jb.eKr".l'.Ul , .that it . would draw the United Strtes Into wars In vurlous parts of tho world and force us to send our boys to fight In quarrels which did not concern us. i Wo should remember, howover. that I the main purpose of Artlcio X Is to frighten nations temptoOo wnrs of conquest from yielding totho temptation, tempta-tion, by tho certnlnty that they will-be crushed If they begin such a war by a universal boycott and a union of forces of tho world ngolnst them. If n big wnr breaks out again, tho United States will be forced to tako part In It whether we have u League of Nations or not. We tried, hard enough to keep out of the war with Germany but found we couldn't. A little wnr contrary to the Lcnguo rules could be hnnilled by tho powers close nt hnnd. Certainly It would not bo necessary to send American troops to suppress an uprising In tho llalkuns when prompt uctlon by tho nrmles of Italy or somo other nearby powerful nation could suppress tho fracas beforo be-foro American troops could even get started. Qreat Qaln for Small Lost. ' Wc had to mnkojnnny sacrifices to win tho last wnr nnd wo made them willingly becauso we know they wero worth while. It will be the same In n smaller degree with n League ot Nations. When men form a buslnoss partnership each ono bus to ranku concessions to the views and opinions of tho other members ot the firm. When wo enter the Lcnguo of Nations wo may have to glvo up certain cer-tain privileges, but tho losses will bo small compared with the proftts. The United States will not havo to sacrifice her Independence or right to luako her own decisions. Tho council, tho chief governing body of tho League, cunnot tako action without unanimous decision of Its members nnd since tho United States will have a representative In tho Council our 'Interest will be protected pro-tected thero. We hear It said that tho League Is formed for tho benefit ot Great llrltaln or Japan or some other j ono nation. This Is not true. All the , nations will gain by It, not onl tho great nat'ons such as tho United ' States, Great Britain, France, Japan nnd Italy, but. tho llttlo nations which In tho post havo been oppressed by their big neighbors. Tho Internationa, court will glvo nn opportunity for thn settlement of old grievances which hnvo long troubled tho peoples of the world. ' ( "It has been said that tho League wilt Interfere with the Monroe Doc- ' trine, but the League Covenant expressly ex-pressly protects this Doctrine. In fact, ' through tho Covenant tho .Monroe Do:- trine receives recognition throughout , tho world ,iuid Un principles become forever established. |
