Show J TAFT AFT OUTLINES LEAGUE LEACUE PLAN r. r t i ti Puts It ft Into Plain Language Free From Legal and Diplomatic t Verbiage in Response to ReMANY Ref Ret Re- Re f nest T MANY ANY ARE CONFUSED j BY PRESENT DEBATE DEBATEs s i 1 Danger That People Will Lose Sight of Basic Principles DurIng DurIng Dur- Dur Ing Discussion of Complicated Details and Technicalities By ex ex ox William H. H Taft The plan for tor a Iea League Leacue of Nations Nations Na Is based on n a few simple principles which are not hard to understand when lifted out of ot the morass of technical discussion discussion discus discus- sion and freed from legal and nl diplomatic l language nl As the theone theone one authority best able to present present present pre- pre sent these points without partisan partisan par par- bias President ex-President Taft has been asked to put the league Idea Into a few plain words for the benefit of millions S S of Americans who desire a better better bet bet- ter understanding o of the plan but find themselves confused by bythe bythe bythe the debate In the United States Senate In response to this ie ie- quest he has written the follow fono following ing article Purpose of the League The chief purpose of the League of t Nations Is to keep the world In a state of peace An Another ther way of expressing expressing ex ex- pressing It is to sa say that the league is designed to prevent wars We have hafe Just finished the greatest which Is to say the most horrible of ofell of ell all conflicts between nations We have hafe won a glorious victory But that victory will be wasted unless this war has bas made the nations ready to put aside their differences and cooperate cooperate co co- co- co operate to end war forever It Is not enough however to provide provide pro pro- vide for tor the prevention of wars and the settlement of ot disputes after they I have bave arisen We must foresee causes CRuses trouble uble and remove them before they have reached an acute stage Hence there must be provision for frequent frequent frequent fre fre- quent consultations of members of the league for e exchange change of Information for tor agreement on common policies and for tor the gradual formation of ot rules of International law which at present are uncertain and incomplete The TIle representatives of the great free tree nations which won the war have met at Paris Pans and after long consultation consultation consulta consulta- tion have drawn an agreement ment which they believe e will accomplish these ends At the very ery least It will set seLin In motion great changes which will wm result re re- sult Ault In universal benefit to all an man man- kind This agreement Is called the Covenant of ot the League of ot Nations and it is a part of ot the Ute peace treaty There will be no league worth talkIng talking talking talk talk- ing about however unless the United States Is a member The Tile decision as asto asto to whether the United States States- shan shall Join rests with our Senate The Senators Senators Senators Sena Sena- tors chosen by the people will in the tile end vote as the people desire For this reason the people themselves will decide whether or not the United States will Join the len league ue In this question every citizen should have a voice olce He TIe or she can express opinion either by writing direct to Senators by letters letter 9 to Q the newspapers by speeches in his lodge or local union or orIn orin In lii conversation cOll with friends Methods of Maintaining Peace Since the prime object of ot the J J League acne of Nations is to preserve presen-e peace and to the benefits of reap peace l let t us see how the league will operate to accomplish that purpose In the tho first place It will wm seek to remove remove remove re re- re- re move the main causes canses of W war h By the formation of an international court It will create a means for the peaceful settlement of disputes between na na- na Then It will seek seck to compel the nations to make use of this court This is nothing more nor less than an application of the rules and customs governing private Individuals In civilized civilized civil civil- communities to the relations between be be- between tween nations Second Secondly I the League will seek to remore remove remove re- re move more a great temptation to war by bythe bythe bythe the general agreement to reduce the size of armies and navies This will halt the tho race for tor military and ua naval val supremacy which was largely largel responsible responsible responsible sible for tor the war Just ended The amount of ot armament any nation ma may maintain will be strictly defined Thus it will be Impossible for one country to overwhelm Its neighbor h by unexpected attack In the wa way that Germany crushed Belgium and would have crushed France had not Dot the tho other democratic nations gone to her aid all The Idea Is la that each country may k p pan an army and navy large enough to enable enable en en- able It to fulfil Its Us responsibilities asa as asa asa a member of ot tho the League but no larger The United States for example probably probably ably would be expected to keep a Ii check on Mexico and the state of constant constant con con- stant turmoil In that country would betaken betl be bo tl- tl taken en Into consideration in deciding how large an ann army we should need The he third important safeguard wh which ch the League will set up Is a tern of penalties This will make an outlaw nation or group of na- na which bl goes to war in violation of the rules of the League The out out- t 1 Jt J. J t mi l' l f rI II IJ t. t Jawed awed nation will TIU be boycotted by al althe an all anthe the other members of ot the League an and will find Itself Itsel cut off oft from both busness bus busi- business business busi- busi ness and social communication with wit the rest of at the tho world How It Will Prevent Wars Ware It Is not claimed that the League o of Nations will do away with war alto alto- gether Ever Every possible provision that tha human intelligence can devise will b be made to settle International disputes dispute peaceably But should all nIl these measures meas ineas ures fall fail and two nations go o to war this is la what will happen If both parties to the dispute have hav observed the rules of ot the League th the theother theother other nations notions will stand back and lethem let le them fight it out War under sue such circumstances Is difficult to Imagine however because before the angry nations na na- na will be allowed to fight In accordance ac ao accordance with the rules of at the League so eo much time must elapse that in al nn probability their anger will cool and they will reach an nn amicable under under- standing What we have to fear Is IB that some som nation will go to war in defiance o othe ot of the League and every precaution has been taken to suppress such a nation by the Immediate use of ot the united pow power r of ot tho other nations If Inter Inter- International national boycott failed to bring her herto herto herto to terms she ahe would have to face tace a combined International army and navy The founders of ot the League behave believe be be- lieve have that the mere possibility of such sucha a 1 situation will prevent any nation from violating Its agreement Does anyone think that Germany would woul have begun war five years ago If she had known that nearly all the other great grent powers would combine against her Doing the Worlds World's Work In addition to settling International disputes peaceably the League of ot Nations will provide means for doing much of ot the worlds world's work wort more systematically systematically and effectively than can 0 DC ue done nOlle now alien cam u Is la HI working only for tor Itself The people you know best and like best are arc those who work with you on the same Job It will be the same way with the nations of the future The more they work together the sooner they will conic como to understand and like each other For example the League will establish lish an International organization for forthe forthe forthe the bettering of labor conditions in indifferent indifferent different countries for the protection of women and children and the Uie native inhabitants of civilized cl and semi civil countries One of Germanys Germany's greatest crimes has been her barbarous barbarous barba barba- rous treatment of the helpless people In some of her colonies One of the chief tasks of the League will be to look after peoples that are not strong enough to protect themselves The League will appoint commissions commissions commis commis- to take charge of various International international Inter inter- national undertakings so that they may be carried on not for the benefit of ot any anyone one nation but for the benefit ot of the whole world Provision will be made for promotion of fair and equal trade conditions These are only a few fe of the benefits the world will derive from the League As time goes on we shall shaH find more and more more tasks tusks at which the nations can work In common and a greater number of opportunities to remove causes which stir up Jealousies and animosities between races and peoples Objections Answered Of Ot course we cannot hope to make the great changes such as ns the League of Nations will bring about without opposition Fortunately the war has taught us the great advantages of International co It was only b by good team work that the free tree liberty loving nations were able to whip Germany The treaty which the United States Senate is debating obligates the members members mem memo bers bels of the proposed League e to protect protect protect pro pro- one another against attack from enemies outside their own boundaries bent upon conquest Although this agreement Article X a of the Covenant Covenant Cove Cove- nant is vital to any arrangement which seeks to prevent war It has been attacked on the ground that It would draw the United States tates into into wars in in various parts arts of the world worM and force us to sett send our boys to fight in quarrels which did not concern us We Ve should remember however that the main purpose of or Article X X- Is to frighten nations tempted to wars of conquest from yielding to the temptation temptation temptation tion by the certainty that they will be crushed If they begin such a war by bya a universal boycott and a union of forces of the w world against them Ifa If It Ifa Ita a big war breaks out again the United States will be forced to take part In It whether wo we have a League of Nations or not We tried hard enough to keep out of the war with Germany but found we A little war contrary to the League rules could coul be handled bandIed by the Uie powers close at at hand Certainly it would not be necessary to send American troops troop to suppress an uprising in tho the Balkans when prompt action b by the armies of ot Italy or some other nearby powerful nation could suppress the fracas before before before be be- fore American troops could even get started Great Gain for Small Loss LOts We had to make many sacrifices to win the last war and amI we made them theta willingly because we knew the they were worth while It will be the same samo in a Q smaller degree with a Lea League ue of ot Nations When men form a business partnership each one has to make concessions To 10 the views and opinions of the other members of the firm When we enter the League ol oj Nations we ma may have to give up certain certain tain privileges but hut the tho losses will be small compared compare with tho the profits The Tho United States will not havo bavo to sacrifice her Independence or right to tomake tomako make mako her own decisions The council time tile chief governing b body of the League cannot take action without unanimous decision of It Its ts members and since the United States will have haye a representative e In Inho Inthe inthe the ho Go Council our our Int Interest interest rest will be pro pro- there thore Ve We hear It It said said that that the league Is formed for the benefit of ot Great Britain or Japan or some other one nation This is not true All the nations will gain by it it not only the great nations such as the United States Great Britain France Japan and Italy haly but the little nations which In n the past have ha been oppressed by their big neighbors The international court will give gl an opportunity for the settlement of old grievances which have long troubled the peoples of the world It has been said that the League will Interfere with the Monroe Doctrine Doctrine Doc Doc- trine but the League Covenant Co expressly expressly expressly ex ex- ex- ex pressly protects this Doctrine In fact through the Covenant Connant Use tile Monroe Doctrine DoctrIne Doctrine Doc Doc- trine receives recognition throughout the world and Its principles become forever established |