COVENANT WAS ADOPTED (Paris, April 28, 1919) PRESIDENT WILSON ALTERATIONS MADE "When the text of the Covenant of the League of Nations was laid before you, I had the honor of reading the Covenant 1 extenso. I will not detain you to-day to read the Covenant s it has now been altered, but will merely take the liberty f explaining to you some of the alterations that have been ade. The report of the commission has been circulated. ou yourselves have in hand the text of the Covenant and ill no doubt have noticed that most of the changes that have een made are mere changes of phraseology, not changes of bstance, and that, besides that, most of the changes are tended to clarify the document, or rather to make explicit hat we had all assumed was implicit in the document as it as originally presented to you. But I shall take the liberty calling your attention to the new features such as they e, some of them considerable, the rest trivial. PROVISION OF NEUTRALS "The first paragraph of Article 1 is new. In view of the sertion of the Covenant in the Peace Treaty, specific provi-n as to the signatories of the treaty, who would become any member of the League on a notice given of i paragraph of Article 4 is new, providing for crease in the council should other powers be League of Nations, whose present accession is 1. ist paragraphs of Article 4 provide specifically for each member of the League in the council, iderstood before; and providing also for one of each member of the League. UNANIMITY OF VOTING aragraph of Article 5 is new, expressly incorrovisions as to the unanimity of voting, which ken for granted. paragraph of Article 6 has had added to it cy of the assembly must approve the appointecretary-General. aragraph of Article 7 names Geneva as the seat , and is followed by a second paragraph which cil power to establish the seat of the League ald it subsequently deem it necessary. paragraph of Article 7 is new, establishing ployment of men and women, that is to say, 1 paragraph of Article 13 is new, inasmuch as o give instances of disputes which are generally bmission to arbitration, instances of what have alled 'justiciable' questions. dispute aff the internatio "Article 26 jority of the s fourths of the ments in that "The secon added at the avoid certain jurisdiction of one or other of the parties it is to report t that effect and make no recommendation. "The last paragraph of Article 16 is new, providing fo an expulsion from the League in certain extraordinary cir cumstances. "Article 21 is new. "The second paragraph of Article 22 inserts the word with regard to mandatories 'and who are willing to accept it thus explicitly introducing the principle that a mandate can not be forced upon a nation unwilling to accept it. "Article 23 is a confirmation of several former articles, and also contains the following, a clause providing for the jus treatment of aboriginies, a clause looking toward a prevention of the white slave traffic, and the traffic in opium, and clause looking toward progress in international prevention and control of disease. "Article 25 specifically mentions the Red Cross as one of he international organizations which is to connect its work with the work of the League. PROVISION FOR AMENDMENT "Article 26 permits amendment of the covenant by a ma ority of the states composing the assembly instead of three ourths of the states, though it does not change the require nents in that matter with regard to the vote in the council "The second paragraph of Article 26 is also new and was dded at the request of the Brazilian delegation, in order to void certain constitutional difficulties. It permits any mem 5-let which this Co SECRETARY-GENERAL PROPOSED 1 the changes I believe which are of moment. hich this Covenant will form a part, certain duties are asgned to the council of the League of Nations. In some stances it is provided that the action they shall take shall by a majority vote. It is, therefore, necessary to make the ■venant conform with the other portions of the treaty by ding these words. I will read the first line and add the rds: "Except where otherwise expressly provided in this Covent or by the terms of the treaty, decisions at any meeting of - assembly or of the council, shall require the agreement all the members of the League represented at the meeting.' ''Except where otherwise expressly provided in this Coveat' is the present reading, and I move the addition 'or by terms of this treaty.' With that addition, I move the ▪ption of the Covenant." The revised Covenant was adopted. |