Jasper County Democrat, Volume 23, Number 58, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 October 1920 — NAILS REPUBLICAN LEAGUE PROPAGANDA [ARTICLE]

NAILS REPUBLICAN LEAGUE PROPAGANDA

Indianapolis, Oct. 12. —In a letter to the public given out here today Henry N. Spaan nailed to the wall Republican propaganda to the effect that President Wilson has insisted on the ratification of the league of nations without the dotting Of an *‘i” or the crossing to a “t”. Mr. Spaan, who Is a recognized authority on the covenant, explained the Hitchcock reservations that were rejected by the Republican senators. He said:

“One of the favorite propaganda of the Republican .leaders is that President Wilson is for the league of nations’ covenant just as he brought It home from Paris, and that he will not consent to any\ change, not even in the dotting of an ‘l’ or the crossing of a ‘t*. Of course this is as ridiculous as It is untrue. Mr. Wilson has stated over and over again that he is in favor of any reservations that are interpretive in character and do not tend to weaken or destroy the effect of the great document. Governor Cox has announced in his letter of acceptance and In his public addresses the same policy. “It Is well known that Senator Hitchcock of Nebraska was the Democratic leader in the senate to whom Mr. Wilson entrusted the direction of the administration fight for the league of nations’ covenant. On Nov. 15, 1919, Senator Hitchcock Introduced before the senate a set of well considered reservations and they appear In the congressional record of that date on page 9035. “These reservations were before their introduction submitted to President Wilson for approval and he heartily endorsed them. Governor Cox in his public speeches has referred to them often and declared that he favored them. So it may be assumed that the policy of the Democratic administration, when Governor Cox becomes president, will be to make these reservations a part of the great covenant of peace. “I x desire now to call your attention- to these reservations and in what manner they affect the league of nations. When Mr. Wilson brought back his first copy of the covenant there was in it no provision for withdrawing from the league. An amendment was suggested providing for this contingency and Mr. Wilson procured the insertion of this amendment, and it appears in article 1 of the covenant; it reads as follows: ‘Any member cf the league may, after two years’ notice of its intention so to do, withdraw from the league, provided that hll Its International obligations and all Its oMgations under the covenant shallmave been fulfilled at the time of itT withdrawal.’ “Immediately the enemies of the •league set up the cry that it would be for the council or the assembly of the league to say, in case of our withdrawal, whether we had fulfilled our obligations under the covenant, and dire prophecies were indulged in about the compromise of our national honor, and the vast shock to our sovereignty that we should suffer if we allowed any other nation or group of nations to determine whether we had fulfilled our obligations under the covenant. “To meet this objection the first Hitchcock reservation reads as follows: ‘That any member nation proposing to withdraw from the league on two years’ notice is the sole judge as to whether its obligations referred to in article 1 of the league of nations have been performed as required in said article.’ “Rest assured that America’s honor will always be safe in the hands of a party that has raised that honor to the highest pitch it has hitherto known and intends to keep it there. “It is insisted by the opponents of the covenant that Japan can bring the immigration question before the assembly or the council of the league and that these league bodies will have a right to pass upon it. It is also said that our traffic laws can be interferred with in the same manner. All of this is not true because article 15 provides that all mere domestic questions shall be excluded from the consideration of the council and the assembly. 4 • “To place thi& matter entirely beyond doubt one of the Hitchcock reservations reads as follows: ‘Tljat no member nation is required to submit to the league, its council or its assembly, for decision, report or recommendation, any ■ matter - which it considers to be in international law a domestic question; such as immigration, labor, tariff or other matters relating to its internal or coastwise affairs.’ With this reservation as a part of the covenant we need not fear Japan or any other country on purely domestic questions. “Many fearful souls still honestly believe that our Monroe doctrine is endangered by this covenant and many designing politicians still mis-

represent the covenant on this matter. Article 21 of the coyenant distinctly provides for the /retention of the Monroe doctrine and one of the /Hitchcock reservations clearly makes a declaration "to that effect; the reservation reads as folldws: ‘That the national policy of the United States known as the Monrob doctrine, as announced and Interpreted by the, United States, is nqt in any “way impaired or affected by the covenant of the league of nations and is not subject to any decision, report or Inquiry by the council or assembly.’ “This sets forever and completely at rest all doubts about the stability and continuance of the Monroe doctrine if we enter the league. “Another one of the Hitchcock reservations places beyond cavil the meaning of article 10 of the covenant. It settles the matter beyond dispute that neither the council nor the general assembly of the league can declare war, but that only advice may be given in the matter by the bodies of the league and that this advice can be acted on only by congress. The reservation speaks for itself and reads as follows: ‘That the advice mentioned in article 10 of the covenant of the league which the council may give to the member nations as to the employment of their naval and military forces is merely advice which each member nation is free to accept or reject according to the conscience and judgment of _lts then existing government, and in the United States this advice can only be accepted by action of the congress at the time in being, congress alone under the constitution of the United States having the power to declare war.’ “Much misrepresentation has been spread abroad by the enemies of the covenant about England’s power In the assembly and in the council. It Is claimed that England has six votes to our one in both of these bodies. This is not true, except in the assembly and in that body we will be able to influence many more votes than England. “But to put the whole matter at rest the last one' of the Hitchcock reservations provides in effect that in a dispute before the council or the assembly of the league between England or any one of her colonies on the one. side and the United States on the other, that neither the United States nor England nor any of her colonies shall have the right to vote on the matter In dispute; in other words, England and her colonies, such as Canada, South

Africa, India, New Zealand and Australia, shall have- combined no more power in the league council or assembly than we have. The reservation reads as follows. ‘That in case of a dispute between members of the league, If one of them have selfgoverning colonies, -dominions or parts which have representation in the assembly, each and all are to be considered parties to the dispute, and the same shall be the rule if one of the parties to the dispute is a self governing colony or part, In which case all other self governing colonies, dominions or parts, as well as the nation as 'a whole, shall be considered parties to the dispute and each and all shall be disqualified from having their votes counted in case of any inquiry on said dispute made by the assembly.’ ”

“Let us discuss the peace treaty and the league of nations. I am going to discuss it in primer fashion. A technical discussion was originated about a year ago in order to confuse the public mind. That covenant is simple, and plain and clear, and the men who contend that it infringes upon the sovereign rights of America, ar the men who contend that it Increases the probability of American boys going to war, know better. They know their statements are false. What assurances did you give the mother heart of America when their boys sailed for the bloody battlefields of Europe? Did you tell them that we were going over to conquer domain that we did not possess; that our boys were to fight in order to gain a rich cash autocracy, a war machine, and that we were going to end this war in order to make wars in the future •impossible. Isn’t that right? The boys completed their Work. While they stood watch on the Rhine, Germany signed the treaty with the allies. America alone has failed to ratify the treaty.”—Governor Cox.