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The Commoner.
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ATTil'ST, 19W
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Alliance With France
Unnecessary '
Xow that the proposed Treaty of Alliance with
Fnnro is before the senate the country is pre
natal to consider and pass upon it. Believing
tli it the treaty should be rejected by the senate
I .'ubmit the following objections:
First: It is unnecessary. In his message pre
senting the treaty to the senate the President
says: "It is believed that the treaty of peace
with Germany itself provides adequate protec
tion to France against aggression from her re
cent enemy on the east". If that is truo it is
not worth while to deviate from our course in
the past and set a dangerous precedent for the
future merely because" "the years immediately
ahead of us contain many incalculable possibil
ities". The possibilities of injury to us are more
difficult to calculate than the possibilities of
harm to France.
Second: The proposed alliance is a reflection
upon the League of Nations and discredits it In
advance. It proclaims to the world a lack of
faith In the sufficiency of the League, of Nations.
We cannot afford to destroy confidence in that
which we present as a cure for war.
Third: The proposed alliance forms a league
within a league, the very thing which the Presi
dent only a few months ago denounced as ob
jectionable to the American people. It would
create jealousies and enmities that would
menace the very existence of the league. We
cannot afford to risk the very effect qf such an
alliance on the league. And it must be remem
bered that France opposed the league and would
be pleased if the alliance destroyed the, league,
while the United States would be greatly dis
appointed and humiliated before the world if
the alliance wrought the overthrow of the
League of Nations.
Fourth: The Unite,d States cannot afford to
be "unequally yoked together" with ,a nation
which does not have our p.oint, of view and has
not yet caught thes vision of the new. era.' France
relies upon the sword and only desires a com
bination of powers strong enough -to mairtain
peace by terrorism. We cannot afford to sur
render our moral prestige, forfeit our position
of independence and descend to her level. For
more than a century we have protected the re-,
publics of Central and South America from
European aggression and we have not demanded
compensation in money or concessions. Under
Mr. Cleveland's administration we were willing
to go to war with Great Britain to protect the
boundary lino between Venezuela and a British
possession. In 1898 we did go to war with Spain
to aid Cuba to secure her independence, and
when that independence was secured we hauled
down our flag in order that the flag of a Cuban
republic might be raised in its place. We went
into the world war in order to make democracy
safe everywhere and when the war was over we
asked for no recompense except the satisfaction
c,mS g tllQ world benefited. Our reward is
sumcient if the late war can be made the last
ar to redden the earth with bloods
Hie President went to France, realizing that
liRnU -, figllt a single-handed battle against the
jeinsh demands of other nations, and he made
d great fight, considering the difficulties he had
to overcome it is astonishing that he secured
tL ,,a treaty as lle did- Having rendered
nLW d a great and disinterested service we
n,r ma,mtain our independence and be in posi
on to throw our influence on the side of justice
any controversy that my arise and thus make
1 ?sue cf NatIns a power for the promo
tion of peace.
forlpl!th:fuThe proP8ed alliance is to remain in'
tw n lle council ot the league shall agree
ainUa pLovisions of the covenant of the league
wop5 hU ent Protection 'to France. In other
thi in PrtPosed alliance iiot only discredits
ano, ?nBne Hut puts tlle termination of the alli
natlnnJ i hands oE a council in- which foreign
ronipr Tave. contro1. We cannot afford to sur
tectinn r J?sht to decide when this special prb
tion of 2 France shall cfease, It is an abdica
thlnir L ?vf reienty -of which bur nation cannot
the 1 nIng guilty- In tne League of Nations
natirn . ! ii advices when and what force the
Points J f emply bllt as the President plainly
decide .?, each nation reserves the right to
mil Hrv re her u follow lhe advice and employ
y lorce. In'the proposed alliance with
0
O
0000(5)00
THIS ROLL OF HONOR
List of Stales That Have Untitled iu
.Aiillonnl Woman Hurfrac Con-
stittitioital Amendment
1 WISCONSIN, Juno 10, 1919.
2 ILLINOIS, Juno 10, 1919.
3MICHIGAN, Juno 10, 1919.
4 KANSAS, Juno 16, 1919.
6 NEW YORK, Juno 1G, 1919.
7 PENNSYLVANIA, Juno 24, 1919.
8 MASSACHUSETTS, Juno 25, 1919.
9TEXAS, June 28, 1919.
10 IOWA, July 2, 1919.
11 -MISSOURI, July 3, 1919.
12 ARKANSAS, July 28, 1919.
13 MONT-ANA, July 30, 1919.
14 NEBRASKA, August 2, 1919.
0
0
0
0
0
0
France no such right is reserved. Wo not only
pledge the employment of force before the
League of Nations can make any investigation
but we permit the council of the Lcaguo of Na
tions to decide how long we must continue to
pledge our army and navy to the protection of
a nation whoso conduct we arc powerless to
control.
Sixth: Wo cannot afford to transfer to another
government tho right 'to decide WHEN this na
tion shall'go to war. We now know what mod
ern warfare is and it is more necessary than
ever before to keep the war-making power in
the. hands of our own people. France does not
pay us a very high compliment when she will
not trust us to decide the question when the
time for action arrives. In spite of tho service
that we have rendered to her she demands that
we shall 'tie our hands and permit a French
assembly to decide when American blood shall
flow and American billions 'bo spent.
The advocates of the proposed, alliance have
argued that congress will still retain the right
to declare war, but that right is merely nominal
a shadow If a declaration of war is pledgod
in advance.
Congress must be as freev to say NO ass to say
YES if it is to retain its constitutional authority
to decide the question of peace or war. If it is
pledged in advance to a declaration of war
whenever .France demands it it cannot exorcise
its right to decide against war without declaring
the1 treaty to be a scrap of paper.
The word "unprovoked" (it is an "unpro
voked" attack that we promised to repel) is no
protection to us because no time is allowed for
investigation. We must act at once and inves
tigate afterwards.
What the world needs is the cultivation of
the spirit that DESIRES peace and WILLING
NESS to have peace' on the basis of brother
hood. This spirit will not be encouraged by tho
formation of alliances for war they have been
the fruitful cause of wai in the past and invito
a reliance upon force instead of friendship. This
nation is teaching the doctrine of brotherhood
and in giving to the world the plan of tho
League of Nations it has embodied the spirit of
brotherhood in the machinery that is to furnish
a substitute for war. Its actions will belie its
words If it encourages France to reject the only
hope of world peace the doctrine of brother
hood proclaimed by Him at whose coming tho
angels sang: "On earth peace, good will toward
W. J. UltYAXN.
men
i
THE FIGHT ON WILLIAMS
The fight on Comptroller Williams is a credit
to him; it is the best proof possible that ho has
done his duty to the public. Some republican
senators may be partisan enough to vote -against
him because he 'is a democrat, but there will bo
enough fair-minded republicans to insure his
confirmation. He is the best comptroller the
nation has had in a generation. His official
record proves this.
-
THEY MAY BE SORRY
Bv the time the republicans dispose of the
League of Nations, the labor question, the rail
road problem and the profiteer, they may bo
sorry they aro In control of congress. Being
in control they have to show their hand In con
ductive legislation -last year they could
spend their time finding fault.
The Social Evil
Thy "wets" profess to be grmlly worried leaf
tut moral squad" will ttirn it tUmtitm UH
tobacco. This I mere affeeUtlon. They knof
,?.trl,,t, noxt ovH t0 to attacked is the SOOULb
HVIL, tho tide partner of the saloon. The bttlo '
more than half won when the saloon la Imn
taniQd, for drink haa brought n multitude of nteti
and women to sin and death. Below will bd
found an Associated Press dtspatcli of January
12, giving an nppoal made by Surgeon General
Blue to the churches on this subject:
"Tho government of tho United States is ask
ing tho churches of tho country to tako an actlvo
part in meeting a great national emergency,
'Tho war made it nocesaary for the nation
to faco frankly and courageously the menace of
tho vonoreal diseases. Now the' war Is over and
the poriod of demobilization haa begun, drastic
moasurea must bo taken to provont, during thifl
poriod, thoso conditions In civilian llfo which
mado thoso diseases tho greatest cause of dia
ability in tho nrmy.
"In tho army and navy a program of law
enforcement, medical monauros, education and
provision for wholcsohio recreation was adopted.
This program brought results. Tho venereal
rate was loworod below that of any army or any
nation in tho history of tho modern world.
"Now that tho war Is over tho cities and
towns, through which tho soldiers and sailors
will go, and to which thoy will roturn, upon
demobilization, miiBt bo mado as snfo as the
camps from which thoy have como. Tho fight
against this monaco to our national vitality and
to our homes must bo vigorously continued.
"It is tho social responsibility of the com
munities, of 'which tho churches of every de
nomination aro a part, to continue tho work
carriod on in time of war that tho world may
bo mado safe, not only for democracy but for
posterity."
What answer will tho liquor intercBtn make
to this new attack on "personal liberty ?
W. J. BRYAN.
AN IMPORTANT RESERVATION
In speaking of our nation's right to decide for
itsolf whether it will employ force, the Presi' l
dent says:
"The covenant of tho League of Nations pro
vides for military action for the protection of
its mombors only upon advice of tho council of
tho league advice given, it is to bo presumed,
only upon deliberation and acted upon by each
of the governments of the membor states only
if its own Judgment justifies such action."
This ought to bo a sufficient answer to thoso
who contend that the League of Nations com
pels us to turn our army and navy over to tho
league council.
The President's interpretation given officially
before ratification Is binding and ought to re
move all fear. The republican senators can now
accept tho League of Nations and ratify tho
treaty. W. J. BRYAN.
CIVILIZATION
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A tSir? U ' Zt&, A
-New York Evening Telegram,"
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