The United States has shown its unselfishness in returning the Boxer indemnity to China, giving Cuba liberty, and in this last Great War seeking no material advantage, but spending its treasures of life and property lavishly in the cause of liberty and justice.

Are we better than all other nations? We are the sons of all other nations, and we shall find our foreign kinsmen worthy of trust. They will be glad to sustain world peace.

The blood of battle and the lust of the old diplomacy is still making dull the sight of some of their statesmen but the sun of a new day rises, bringing a flood of light to all.

The lovers of Ireland cry out against Article X; that it preserves the territory of Ireland as British territory and closes the door of hope to Irish freedom. Not so. It opens a forum under Article XI, where Ireland can present its claim for self-government. Ireland can there claim the right under the contract of November 5, 1918, pledging the Entente Allies to recognize the principle of all just governments being based on the consent of the governed; moreover, under the safeguard of the league covenant and disarmament, Ireland would no longer be regarded by Great Britain as a military asset or a menace, and would more readily agree to complete self-government. Without a league Ireland can only make the plea of reason, backed by a sullen revolutionary spirit, but not by real war. The United States is not going to war with Great Britain to give Ireland home rule. Without a league and with rival armaments Great Britain would never consent to give up governmental control of Ireland. A league of nations is essential to bring about the freedom of Ireland, of Egypt, of India, of Porto Rico, of Korea, of the Philippines, and of all other subject peoples.

ARTICLE XII. CONCILIATION.

Article XII pledges the members to submit "any dispute likely to lead to a rupture" to arbitration or to inquiry by the council, and they agree "in no case to resort to war until three months after the award by the arbitrators, or the report by the council." They agree to wait a reasonable time for the award of the arbitrators and the report of the council. The report of the council must be made within six months. This prevents any nation going to war for nine months (Art. XII). This is much better than going to war with-. out notice, and is an important preventive of war. But even then, if a nation goes to war it must not be guilty of external aggression on the territorial integrity and existing political independence of its opponent (Art. X).

ARTICLE XIII. ARBITRATION.

Article XIII: Members of the league agree to submit for arbitration disputes which can not be satisfactorily settled by diplomacy, such as disputes—

As to the interpretation of a treaty;

As to any question of international law;

As to the existence of any fact which if established would constitute a breach of any international obligation;

Or as to the extent and nature of the reparation to be made for any such breach.

The members of the league agree that they will carry out "in full good faith any award that may be rendered " under the arbitration provided by Article XIII. And that they will not resort to war against a member of the league which complies therewith. This provision prevents war over disputes arising under such questions, but the questions arbitrated are limited under Article XIII, as stated. This will promote world peace.

ARTICLE XIV. COURT OF INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE.

Article XIV provides that the council shall formulate " and submit to the members of the league for adoption plans for the establishment of a permanent court of international justice." The court shall be competent to hear and determine any dispute of international character which the parties thereto submit to it. The court may also give an advisory opinion upon any dispute or question referred to it by the council or the assembly. This court will promote world peace.

ARTICLE XV. DISPUTES BEFORE COUNCIL AND ASSEMBLY.

Article XV: If there should arise between members of the league any dispute likely to lead to a rupture, which is not submitted to arbitration "in accordance with Article XIII, the members of the league agree that they will submit the matter to the council."

The council shall endeavor to effect a settlement and make public the terms of settlement.

If the dispute is not thus settled, "the council, either unanimously or by majority vote, shall make and publish a report containing a statement of the facts of the dispute and the recommendations which are deemed just and proper in regard thereto."

Then

Any member of the league represented on the council may make public a statement of the facts of the dispute and its conclusions regarding the same. If a report by the council is unanimously agreed to by the members thereof other than the representatives of one or more of the parties to the dispute, the members of the league agree that they will not go to war with any party to the dispute which complies with the recommendations of the report.

In this way various avenues leading to war are judiciously closed by peaceable and sensible processes and world peace made sa fer.

If the council fails to reach a report the members of the league reserve to themselves "the right to take such action as they shall consider necessary for the maintenance of right and justice." They may not commit external aggression on the territory of another, however, under Article X.

If the council finds the dispute arising out of a matter which is solely within the domestic jurisdiction of a party under international law, the council shall so report and shall make no recommendations as to its settlement.

Either the council or the disputant may refer the dispute to the assembly.

This class of cases is obviously comprised of those which can not be otherwise settled agreeably under Articles XII, XIII, and XV. Article XV then declares:

In any case referred to the assembly, all the provisions of this article and of Article XII relating to the action and powers of the council shall apply to the action and powers of the assembly, provided that a report made by the assembly if concurred in by the representatives of those members of the league represented on the council and of a majority of the other members of the league, exclusive in each case of the representatives of the parties to the dispute, shall have the same force as a report by the council concurred in by all the members thereof other than the representatives of one or more of the parties to the dispute.

It is important to observe that a report of the assembly under Article XV shall have the same force, under Articles XII and XV, as a report by the council. A report of the council is only pursuasive and not obligatory except that under Article XII the members agree "in no case to resort to war until three months "after the report of the council, and in Article XV, that they will not go to war at all "with any party to the dispute which complies with the recommendations of the court." The report of the assembly is therefore of value in protecting a nation which complies with the award against war by its opponent, and prevents a nation going to war in any contingency for three months after the award, and by delay and appeal to world opinion war is made more difficult and world peace is promoted.

But external aggression of the territory of another nation is still forbidden under Article X.

The opponents of the league have bitterly denounced the treaty because Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the Union of South Africa, and India are members of the league while affiliated with Great Britain as members of the British Empire. They say that the British Empire should only have one vote if the United States has only one vote, or if Great Britain has six votes the United States should have six votes. India has three times as many people as the United States. Self-government has been promised to India; its right to be a member of the league and the advantage to the league of giving membership to India is obvious.

The Union of South Africa, a great modern republic, consisting of many States, is entitled to membership by every standard of reason. Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are great, progressive, self-governing Commonwealths. It is of the greatest advantage to the league to have them members of the league. Their view of Japanese immigration is the same as that of the United States. Their ideals are the same. The opponents of the league, however, say that the United States should have six votes, otherwise Great Britain would outvote the United States on a dispute coming before the assembly under Article XV. The answer to all this is that Great Britain has, as a matter of fact, but one vote; that Great Britain will not choose the representative on the assembly appointed by the Union of South Africa, by Canada, by Australia, by New Zealand, and probably not by India. Certainly not by India when self-government has been fully granted.

Great Britain and the United States have always settled their disputes without serious trouble.

The assembly will consist of 50 men, and any settlement which would be unanimously agreed to by seven members of the council and the majority of the representatives of the 50 nations, which will comprise the assembly, will undoubtedly be right, and the United

States could afford to carry out such a decision if it should be a party litigant and defeated, but it would not have to carry it out unless it saw fit to do so. The effect of such an adverse decision would be that if the United States did carry it out, its opponent could not make war on the United States, or the United States could not make war on Great Britain if Great Britain were defeated and carried out the decision of the assembly. Neither party could make war on the other for 90 days after the decision in any event. This is better than making war without notice, which either one of such litigants in the supposed controversy could do now, and no unprejudiced man fears war with Great Britain.

Under Article X the United States could not, however, be subjected to external aggression on its territory, or invade the territory of a member nation in any contingency.

The one vote which Great Britain has covers England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, and all the British possessions, except the gigantic population of India, the vast country of Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the Union of South Africa, the four latter countries being completely self-governing. If the representatives of these self-governing countries should possibly vote for England in some supposed dispute before the assembly, the world could smile at the partiality, and the moral influence of such a vote would be negligible. In all human probability such a vote in such a supposed case between the United States and Great Britain before the assembly would be offset by the vote of Panama, Cuba, Haiti, San Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, and the other American republics, who, now that German propaganda has ended, will surely appreciate the longtime disinterested friendship of the United States. Moreover, the United States, because of its enormous commercial, industrial, financial resources, and because of its great attachment to justice and fair dealing, need have no apprehension of any case ever arising which would go to the assembly, or any fear of the action of the assembly if such a case, by any possible stretch of the imagination, should ever be submitted to the assembly.

The enemies of the league demand six votes for the United States to save the country from ruin and at the same time argue that threefourths of the nations are colored and they will rule the white nations; while others claim that a majority of nations are Catholic and the Catholic Church will rule; and others argue that autocracies will rule because of the frequency of kings, as of England, Italy, Belgium, Norway, Sweden, etc., etc.

Neither the colored races, the autocracies, the Catholics, or Great Britain can rule through the council or assembly, as no governing or legislative power is granted by the covenant.

ARTICLE XVI. WORLD BOYCOTT AND ARMED FORCE.

Article XVI. Not only does the covenant remove the possibility of war by arbitration; by conciliation; by public opinion, exerted through the council and the assembly; by progressive disarmament; by abatement of munition making; by the mutual pledge to do everything possible to promote international cooperation; by the acceptance of obligations not to resort to war; by the prescription of open, just, and honorable relations between nations; by the firm

establishment of the understanding of international law as the actual rule of conduct among Governments; and by the maintenance of justice, and a scrupulous respect for all treaty obligations in the dealings of organized peoples with one another (preamble); by the solemn obligation "to respect and preserve as against external aggression the territorial integrity and existing political independence of all members of the league," but under Article XVI it is providedShould any member of the league resort to war in disregard of its covenant under Articles XII, XIII, or XV, it shall ipso facto be deemed to have committed an act of war against all other members of the league, which hereby undertake immediately to subject it to the severance of all trade or financial relations, the prohibition of all intercourse between their nationals and the nationals of the covenant-breaking Staté, and the prevention of all financial, commercial, or personal intercourse between the nationals of the covenantbreaking State and the nationals of any other State, whether a member of the league or not.

Under such a tremendous penalty neither the financial, commercial, nor the political authorities of any State in the world would have the insanity to resort to war in disregard of its covenants under Articles XII, XIII, or XV.

Under Article XVI, as under Article X, it is made the duty of the council in such case

to recommend to the several Governments concerned what effective military, naval, or air force the members of the league shall severally contribute to the armed forces to be used to protect the covenant of the league.

. Under Article X the council advises what force should be used; under Article XVI the council recommends. The meaning is the

same.

The members, moreover, agree in such a contingency to cooperate in financial and economic measures to minimize the losses and inconvenience resulting from the boycott of an outlaw nation. The outlaw nation may be deprived under Article XVI of its membership in the league.

Every modern nation, to engage in successful war, must have the sympathy and earnest cooperation of its industrial, commercial, and financial captains. Under the penalties of Article XVI all these forces would resist any tendency to war. War under such penalties would be ruinous.

Article XVI is a tremendous power for world peace.

ARTICLE XVII. NON-MEMBER NATIONS.

Article XVII in like manner provides for dealing with nonmember nations who may resort to war, although there is every sound reason to believe that every nation in the world will become members of the league.

This article helps preserve world peace.

ARTICLE XVIII. No SECRET TREATIES.

Article XVIII provides for the publication of all future treaties by the secretariat, and that no such treaty shall be binding until so registered.

This is the end of secret treaties, which have heretofore been a menace to world peace.