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'The Commoner
AT'tilTST, 1919
11
ivdril force is neither invoked to compel the
Si tains parties to submit the dispute to the
Amission nor to enforce its findings.
C0S who believe in good faith and that
,. " onjy be educated, not coerced into action
n conformity with the given word, as well as
n those who regard public opinion as the uni
versal and supreme sanction before which in the
) - run crowns are liumbled and against, which
the mailed fist strikes in vain, these harmless
agreements, for they can neither injure man nor
nation will be a comfort and a hope: a comfort
that tiio persuasion of public opinion ij relied
upon instead of physical coercion, and a hope
that other advocates of justice between nations
will regard these treaties as precedents for
further progress.
Any dispute that can be talked about can bo
settled; and dispute that is talked about must
and will bo settled in accordance with the dic
tates of an isistent and enlightened public
opinion. JAMES BROWN SCOTT.
Washington, D. C, July 9, 1918.
t
League of Nations is formed, and PROVIDED
ing youT md lt Cn8Gnts t0 our hl'
ttJ1!110 PrPsIdent now asks the senate of the
nn Jhi Siai08 t0 d0 8omothlne which ho. said the
united States would nevor do.
t Jhat l?xT osidont apparently oxpocU the
League of Nations to sanction something which
lie said it would novor sanction.
That tho President proposes to have tho right
and power of the United States to make trcatioa
or contract alliances dependent upon tho assent
of the majority of an alien body; and this upon
tlie heels of his declaration that the treaty of
peace "recognizes tho inalienable rights of na
tionality". Harvey's "Weekly.
THE NEW TRIPLE ALLIANCE,
Now this is tho story of the new Triple Alli
ance: The Prime Minister f Franco, speaking in
the Chamber of Deputies in December last, said:
"There is an old system oi alliances called
the 'balance of power'. It seems to be con
demned now-a-days; but if such a balance had
prcreded the war if England, the United
Ftatcs, France and Italy, say, had agreed that
whoever attacked one of them attacked tho whole,
the war would not have occurred. The system
of alliances, which I do not i enounce, will be
my guiding thought at the peace conference."
The President of the .United States replied,
promptly and directly, at Manchester, saying:
"If the future had nothing for us but a new
attempt to keep the world at a right poise by a
balance of power, the United States would tako
no interest in it; because 'SHE WILL JOIN NO.
COMBINATION OF POWERS WHICH -.IS t NOT
A COMBINATION OF ALL OF US."
In addition to this challenge, to M. Clemen
ceau, the President also said:
"There can be no al'iances or leagues or spe
cial understandings within the general or com
mon family cf the league."
Despite these particularly -explicit and positive
declaration to the effect that the United States
would enter no combination of powers save a
universal league of nations, and that no limited
alliance could possibly be formed by any mem
bers of the league, rumors arose that in order
to mollify M. Clemencoau 'and to secure the sup
port of France for the league, the President was
negotiating a tripartite treaty, of America, Great
Britain and France, for the special protection
of the last namejl. Referring to these, the Pres
dent's Secretary, .Mr. Joseph P. Tumulty, in
April proclaimed to the world:
"In view of the fact that certain newspapers
of wide circulation have intimated that tho
President had entered into a secret alliance -or
treaty with some of the great powers, I con
veyed this information to the President, and I
am in receipt of a cablegram from him giving
POSITIVE AND UNQUALIFIED DENIAL to this
fetory."
Since then the Presidentthimself has lifted the
veil of secrecy with this .authoritative declara
tion: "I have promised to propose to ,the senate a
supplement (to tho treaty of peace) in 'which
we shall agree, subject to tho approval of the
council of the League of Nations, to come im
mediately to the aid of France in case of unpro
voked attack by Germany."
Finally, the text of the treaty, implicating
America, Great Britain and France, long care
fully concealed, was made public. It showed
hat the President had -negotiated and signed a
treaty with France, pledging this country to
come to her aid immediately upon an unpro
voked attack by Ger any, provided that Great
Jl!u?S makes a similar but not identical treaty
If - ,,rance- an( at the council of the League
oi i at ions approves it by a majority vote.
Pr n from the inteiesting self-reversal of the
iresiaent, this sequence of. utterances and in
cidents discloses or suggests
That the President practically said to France:
uennquiBh your demands for stronger guaran
SJ gainst German aggressioni and the United
ciaies will protect you; PROVIDED that a
Is the Law Enforcement
Code Reasonable?
The Anti-Saloon league has never asked for
enactment of a law to issue search warrants
for liquor in a bona-flde private residence In
many of the states we have asked for a search
and seizure law authorizing tho seizure of liquors
in alleged homes which had become places of
public resort or for tho illicit distribution of
liquor. When tho Federal code was introduced
this provision was further safeguarded to pre
vent any abuse by tho enemies of the measure.
It provided that a search warrant could only
be issued in such cases when two creditable
witnesses filed affidavits setting forth tho above
facts. Because of tho misrepresentation of this
section, the house judiciary committee struck
out this clause and it left the bill so that every
home could, become an open speak-easy whore
liquor was sold daily and the supply could not
be seized. This was so manifestly unreasonable
that tho house promptly amended it so that
liquor may be seized in a home where tho liquor
is actually sold in the residence.
The provisions relating to possession of liquor
,, in the. lvome and the right to seize suoh liquor'
are as follows. Sections 34 says:
"Every person legally pei milted under this
title to have liquor shall report to tho commis
sioner within ten days after January 16, 1920,
the kind and amount of Intoxicating liquors in
his possession. But It shall not be unlawful to
possess liquors in one's private dwelling while
the same is occujicd and used by him as his
dwelling only and such liquor need not be re
ported; but r I liquors raus be used fur the
personal e s ption of the owner thereof anJ
his famil -bsiding in such dwelling, and his
bona fide guests when entertained by him thore
in: and the burden of proof shall be upon the
posses:or to rove that such liquor was lawfully
acquired, possessed, and used."
Section 26 of the code says:
"No search warrant shall issue to toarch any
private dwelling occupied .3 such unless it is
bein' used for the unlawful sale of intoxicating
liouor, or unless it is In part used for some busi
ness purpose such as a store, shop, saloon, res
taurant, hotel or boaiding house."
The above provisions are not as strong as
those found in the stSte prohibition laws
- The Anti-Saloon league has not asked for any
provision they did not have u ti on g reason for,
and that was not backed up by precedent in the
states If some of these provisions do seem
strong it is because of the fact that we deal
with the most lawless traffic in existence. The
runreme court made this comment in sustaining
thS validity of the prohibits law-245 U. S.
304
"And considering the notorious difficulties
i ,, nttendant upon the efforts to suppress
fflc in liquors weP are unable to say tha tho
choUenged inhibition ot their possession was
JarVaiid unreasonable or without proper
a inHnn to the legitimate legislative purpose."
rfiThe courts and most legislative bodies' have
i ?n treat the liquor traffic with the cour
ceased to treat tne i ag ft
tesy of f11. '"Jig h; itself to the treatment
a8which there is no analogy in the law. Tho
)0f which tnere J t because the supreme
rnmtnhasr cha -"terized the beverage liquor
rntrenfrlgh? tolXt'ln the states or in the
Uni,t,d SfHPnds of prohibition realize that a
rea?onabirieooddemurt be adopted. If the pur-
00O000000000Q0 000 0 0 00 0
0 INCREASE OF 8 PBIt GENT Itf FOOD
0
0
0
0
0
0
COSTS SHOWN SINCE 10115
T
0
0
A Washington dispatch, datod Aug. 2,
says: Since 1913, tho cost of foodstuffs
hag advancod 88 nor cont. records in tho
Duroau of labor statistics rovoalod ycatcr-
day. During this period, articlos which
inoreasod 100 per cent or more woro:
Sugar, 100 par cont; pork chops and
ham, 103 per cent oach; bacon, 107 per
cont; potatoes, 111 per cont; cornmoal, 0
126 por cont; flour, 127 por cont; and
lard, 164 por cont.
During tho past year alono food in-
creased 14 por cent. Onions increased 0
133 por cont; prunes, f3 per cont;
coffoe, 41 por cont; potatoos, 31 por
cent; cheeso 28 per cont; eggs, 26 por
cont; milk, 15 por cont; and flour, 12
000000000000000000000
por cent.
Cornmoal docroasod C por cont; chuck
roast and plate boiling hoof oach do
,oroasod 5 por cont; and navy beans, 16
por cent during the game period.
Slnco December, 191C, there has boon
an average increase of 120 por cant in
tho cost of wearing apparol, 45 por cont
for fuol and light, 125 per cent for fur
uituro and furnishings, and 65 por cent
in miscellaneous articlos.
pose, however, of tho 15th amendment is to bo
carried out, thero should bo no loop holt left
in tho law by which the Illicit liquor traffic may
bo carried on. Those who arc now asking for
weakening amendments, will within two years,
bo demanding stronger provisions because ex
perience will provo it to bo necossary in order
to prevont violations of law nade pogslblo by -the
provisions which they ere now championing. ,
The voto of 287 to 101 for tho code which
passed the house, is indicative of tho feeling of .
' the people, that a reasonable and enforceable
code must bo adopted. This is all that the Antf- 'f
SnlOon league is asking for.-Wayno B. Wheeler,
Attorney for Anti-Saloon League.
STATE AND MUNICIPAL ACTION TO CURB
PROFITEERS
(Continued from pago 6.)
that immediato relief was necessary to stop prof
iteering and reduco tho cost of living.
' LOCAL BOARDS
"Third Tho state legislature should pass au
act immediately authorizing, by a general law, (
all municipalities of the state to create local
trade commissions with powers to investlgato
and summon witnesses, and provide funds for !
its use, said local commission to supplement tho
work of the state and federal trade commissions. :,
"Fourth The legislature should pass a gen- j
oral law amending the charters of all municipal-,
Ities in tho state authorizing them to estab
lish public markets, municipal slaughter houses,
municipal coal yards, and municipal produce '
stores, and authorize all municipalities to pro
vide funds for tho same.
"Some of tho municipalities have authority,
now to do some of these things, " but others
would havo to amend their charters. -Somo
municipal officials would bj opposed to amend
ing local charters and the profiteer would object,
but the legislature can avoid delay and expense,
and avoid local contests, by passing a general
Jaw authorizing the establishment of municipal'
food houses when necessary to protect the peo
ple. If this privilege is given to municipalities
the people will compel action by their municipal
officials or they would recall them. The estab- (
lishment of municipal produce stores, supple
menting tho work the federal government is now
do!- by selling supplies direct to tho public by f
parcel post, will break tho combinations in food
stuffs that is raising tho cost of living to a pro
hibitive price, and is the chief cause of creating
the unrest which foreshadows serious trouble i
conditions are not remedied."
If the governors of the several states would
call special sessions of the state legislatures and
enact the legislative suggestions above, tho
profiteers whose work is confined to state lines
(the greater number are local and cannot h&
reached by federal action) would soon ba i
brought to task.
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