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Show COX AND SMOOT EXCHANeE TELEGRAMS ON LEAGOE GOVERNOR COX WIRES SENTOR ROOT FOR RETRACTION. RE-TRACTION. SENATOR ROOT REPLIES BY PROVING COX FOR WILSON LEAGUE, NOTH ING MOH 3 NOTHING LESS. ROOT SCORES A GREAT TOINT. UO.VM TKTi! AJI TO ItOOT "I havo here 'foio mo a quotation quota-tion from your i. iress on tho league ol nations dolls .cd In kew York City October 10, which reads: " 'Mr. Cox declared that he will Insist upon tho treaty Just as Mr. Wilson negotiated It.' I am addressing address-ing you most respectfully with recognition recog-nition of your integrity of purposo and tho signal scrvico which you have rendered as n public man, mind ful of tho fact that you may havo fallen Into error through Ignorance of the situation owing to your absence ab-sence from the United States during a part of the presidential campaign. Your statement, however, Is not In keeping with tho facts which you aro nsBumcd to know by perusal of tho dally papers. I havo invariably stated In my addresses, and rcstato hero, my wholehearted dcslro to mako tho United States a member of the leaguo of nations, and that, to securo that consumation of tho purpose pur-pose of America when sho entered tho war, I will accept reservations that will clarify, that will be helpful, help-ful, that will rca'ssuro tho American people; and' that, as a matter of good faith, will clearly stato to our associates In the leaguo that congress mil congress nlcno haB tho right to dcclnro war, and that our constitution constitu-tion sets up limits in legislation or treaty malting beyond which wo can not go. I havo utated further that I will accept reservations from any sourco which are offered in sincerity and with a dcslro to bo helpful. COXSTKUKD AS MANDATK "I havo also stated that It I am elected president, my election can bo construed only as a mandate of tho American people; and that to securo ratification of tho treaty and tho league, I would sit down with tho mombcrs of tho Unitod States sen-a,to; sen-a,to; 'I would confer with Mr. Wilson Wil-son and with you Mr. Hoot, as well as with Judge Taft and nil others who havo a slncero purposo and whoso service In tho past equips them especially as advisers In this work. You know and know full well that Senator Hnrdlng very recently said, 'I am not Interested In clarification; clarifi-cation; I am Interested 'in rejec tion.' Ao I havo stated at tho beginning, be-ginning, I am placing a charitable construction upon your statement, that perhaps your partisanship has prevented your reading my addresses and your prejudice has prevented you from realizing the dcstructlonlst attitude of your own candidate, but you have made a statement concerning concern-ing mo which the records show Is false, and I firmly but respectfully call upon you to correct this statement state-ment at once. "Mr Root, you havo arrived at honorable station in Ufo. Many pco-plo pco-plo trust you. You havo no right to deceive them. They want tho truth In this campaign. Your conscience will tell you that duty to It should be superior to duty to your party. (Signed) "JAMES M. COX." ROOT'S TELKdRAM TO COX "I havo today received your telegram tel-egram dated yesterday. I would no: willingly do you Injustice and I do not think I have. You began your campaign by an interview with tho president and an authoritative statement state-ment that you and ho wore In complete com-plete accord upon tho leaguo of na-tlons. na-tlons. I can not be mistaken abour this position. Throughout tho long struggle In tho senato -ho steadfastly steadfast-ly refused lo glvo IiIb assent to any rosoryatlon" which substantially chnnged tho covenant as he brought It back lie certainly has not changed. chang-ed. Ills very recent utterances show that. If'you havo changed from that complcto accord with him I havo not heard of It. Such a change is nut Indicated by tho vaguo and general expressions of your telegram, saying that you will accept reservations that 'will clarify, that will be helpful, that will roassuro tho American people, peo-ple, that will reassuro pie, that you would sit down with tho members of tho sonato, that you would confer with Mr. Wilson, Mr. Taft and myself, and all others who havo a sincere purpose, etc. becauso you aro tho ono who would determine deter-mine what was helpful, what would roassuro tho Amrolcan people, what advico you would follow and you aro solemnly publicly pledged to an tng tho covenant ho brought baclc fiom Europe. I.KINITH IDHA "There is ono statement of your telegram that does glv a definite Idea of where you stand upon what Mr. Wilson declares to bo the heart of the leaguo tho general nlllanco of article ten, by which tho United Slates would undertake to guarantee na ogainstextemnl aggression to mako that guarantee good by war If necessary. You say In your telegram that you will accept reservations that ill clearly state to our associates in tho league that congress and congress con-gress nlono has tho right to declare war,' and that 'our constitution sets up limits In legislation or treaty mak ing beyond which wo can not go.' "That, It seems, Is what you aro willing to do about article ten. Well, It is absolutely nothing. Everybody knows already that only congress has a right to declare war and that there aro limits to legislation and treaty making power. All government! ot all civilized nations know it. You accomplish nothing by telling thorn of It again. The trouble about giving tho guarantco provided In article ten la that tho making of a treaty concerning con-cerning It is a solemn assurance to all tho nations that It la within the treaty making power and that the promise to make war binds congress as fully as It binds alt other members mem-bers of our government to maintain the plighted faith of the United Slates. In all governments tho power pow-er to declare war rests somewhere und an agreement to mako war is an agreement that that power shall be so exercised by tho officers In whom, j It rests. A refusal by congress to pass tho necessary resolution would simply be a breach of tho treaty. D1UWS ANALOGY "An analogous caso Is tho power oi congress to appioprlato money. There Is no other power In our government gov-ernment to do that; but, It tho United Unit-ed States makes a treaty agreeing to j pay n million dollars to another country would any ono say that the I obligation could be cancelled by a refusal ot congress to appropriate i tho money. Certainly not; tho only effect would bo that tho United States j would havo broken faith. Tho real question Is whether wo shall enter j Into a guarantee under which tho faith of treaties will require congress to pass a 'resolution declaring war. That Is what the president proposed. That is what your telegram makes it clear you propose. "On tho same day when you sont tho telegram, according to tho preB3 repoils, In a meeting at. Providence, some ono In tho audience asked you, 'Would you accept tho Lodgo reservations reser-vations to tho leaguo ot nations?' Thero was your opportunity. Among theso reservations was ono which said: f " 'The United States assumes no obligation to preservo tho territorial Integrity or political Independence Not any other country by tho employment employ-ment of Its military or naval forces, etc., unless In any particular caso tho congress which, under tho constitution, con-stitution, has tho solo power to declare, de-clare, war or to authorize tho employment employ-ment of tho military or naval forces of the United' States, shall in tho ex-orelso ex-orelso of full liberty of action by act or Joint resolution, so provide.' "That icscrvation would leave congress con-gress freo whenever tho tlmo carao to act In nccordanc with Its Judgment and conscience and the Judgment and conscience, of Its constituents regard lng tho merits ot tho controversy at that tlmo. "Your position ns you now stato It, would leave congress bound by tho solemn pledgo of faith of our country to pass tho resolution of war, no matter what tho merits ot tho controversy might bo. "If you did not moan that congress should bo bound, you had an opportunity oppor-tunity at that meeting In Providence to say 'I agreo to this reservation or to this part of this reservation.' Your answer Is rported to havo been 'Tho I.odgo reservations novor woro scrl-ouiiy scrl-ouiiy suggesled. If they had boon, Saator Lodgo would havo declared for them In tho Republican platform adopted nt Chicago,' and thus you side-stepped -tho question and you ptato in your telegram to me tho perfectly futile thing you aro willing to do upon the subject of article ten. "Your telegram to me undcrtarkes to state your case, and both "what you say and what you refrain from shying confirm the understanding I oxpressed In niy speech that your position po-sition and purposo are to Impose upon up-on tho United States tho covenant negotiated at Paris, without any real chango whatever." |