Art. 6. Art. 8. Art. 10. Arts. Art. 13. Art. 16. Art. 17. Art. 22. vote. First meeting to be called by the President of the United States. No decision about interests of a member State unless it was invited to be present. Each group of Powers represented in Council may be enlarged by Council, with approval of the majority of Assembly. Council elects a Secretary General, subject to approval of majority of Assembly, but first Secretary General is to be named in protocol; submits to the several governments plans for a reduction of advises how to secure protection of territorial integrity and in- declines to make any recommendation if it finds a dispute to be considers how to enforce award of arbitration, if necessary; submits to League members plans for a Permanent Court of International Justice, which shall have both a final and an advisory jurisdiction. recommends and conducts coercion of State not keeping pledge to use arbitration or conciliation or disregarding awards (1st, by economic boycott; 2nd, cessation of all intercourse; 3rd, blockade; 4th, use of military and naval forces of League members). recommends to the several governments what force any mem may act to compel States outside the League to submit their III. PERMANENT SECRETARIAT, headed by Secretary General, paid Art. 6. Art. 11. Art. 18. Art. 24. for by League on basis used in Postal Union. Secretary General appoints staff with approval of Council. In emergencies, on request of any League member, the Secretary General shall summon the Council. All treaties and engagements in League reported to Secretary General and promptly published by him, no agreement valid until so reported. Secretariat shall, with consent of Council and at desire of parties interested, assist in matters of international interest not placed under control of international bureaus or commissions. IV. COMMISSIONS may be appointed by Assembly or Council. Covenant Art. 9. Art. 22. creates : Military and Naval Commission, to advise on admissions, armaments, and manufacture of and traffic in munitions. Mandatary Commission, to receive annual reports from mandataries, and to help in securing observance of terms of mandates. V. MANDATES-Disorganized and backward countries shall be entrusted to care of advanced nations who are willing to accept the "mandate." Art. 22. Provisionally independent States in old Turkish Empire may be helped by Power (whom they aid in choosing), until they are able to stand alone. Central African territories, administration given entirely to mandatary; must be equal economic opportunity, freedom of religion, no trade in slaves, arms or liquor; no military estab lishment or training except for police and defense. Southwest Africa and Southern Pacific Isles administered as integral parts of mandatary State. Mandataries must render annual reports to Council through the Mandatary Commission. VI. Concerning direct PREVENTION OF WAR. Members of the League agree Art. 8. Art. 10, Art. 11. to acquaint each other with their military and naval programs and conditions of their munition industries; to defend each other's territorial integrity and independence against external aggression; to regard any threat of war as business for the League, either Arts. 12, 13, 15. Art. 16. the Assembly or Council, whether the danger affects members to refer disputes, not adjusted by diplomacy, to be settled by b) Commission of Inquiry, instituted by Council or Assembly, c) Permanent Court, hereafter to be established, decisions to be respected as arbitral awards. To make no war in any case until three months after awards or recommendations are announced. To submit to Secretary General promptly full statements of each side in a dispute, which statements the Council may publish forthwith. to join in resisting a covenant-breaking State, and to let League forces cross their territories. VII. GENERAL AGREEMENTS Art. 6. Art. 7. Art. 11. Art. 16. Art. 20. Art. 21. Matters of procedure at meetings of Assembly or Council, including appointment of committees, determined by majority vote of States represented at meeting. In general, decision in Assembly or Council must be by unanimous agreement, unless covenant or treaty provides otherwise. Officers of League and buildings used by them have privileges and immunities established by diplomatic usage. All positions under the League are open equally to men and women. Any member of League may withdraw after two years' notice of its intention, provided all its obligations under this covenant have been met. It is "the fundamental right” of each member of the League to Any covenant-breaking League member may be expelled from No Power will maintain obligations contrary to this Covenant Nothing in Covenant affects validity of international engage Art. 24. Art. 25. Art. 23. ments such as arbitration treaties "and regional understandings like the Monroe Doctrine for securing the maintenance of peace." League shall, with consent of States, control all International Bureaus formerly established, and all created in future. Members of League will promote "establishment and cooperation of duly authorized voluntary national Red Cross organizations." Members of League will endeavor to secure fair and humane conditions of labor for men, women and children in all countries and to maintain international organizations for that purpose, and to secure just treatment of native populations under control; will give League supervision of agreements about traffic in women, children and dangerous drugs, and supervision of trade in arms and ammunition in countries where control is needed; will maintain "freedom of communication and of transit and equitable treatment for the commerce of all members of the League"; will help to prevent and control disease. ANNEX TO THE COVENANT I. Original members of the League of Nations. Signatories of the Treaty of Peace: United States of America, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, British States invited to accede to the Covenant: Argentine Republic, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Netherlands, Norway, Paraguay, Persia, Salvador, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Venezuela. II. First Secretary General, named by the Conference, Sir James Eric Drummond. Four States whose representatives may sit with those of five Great Powers in the Council, named by the Conference: Belgium, Brazil, Greece, Spain. League Treaty In his addresses at Albany, New York, June 7, Ex-President Taft, president of the League to Enforce Peace, reiterated the chief points in favor of the Paris Covenant for the League of Nations which he has been urging in speeches in many parts of the United States and replied to current criticisms. From press reports the following timely extracts are here reproduced: If any substantial amendment is to be made to the treaty submitted by the President it must go back to other Powers who signed it for their acceptance and approval. Upon those who insist that substantial amendments must be made to the treaty, will therefore fall the responsibility for the indefinite postponement of peace, which the unconditional ratification of the treaty will at once bring about. It has been proposed to separate the covenant from the treaty and to ratify the treaty, thus truncated or dissected, with the idea that peace will follow such action by the Senate. The suggestion has been made that peace thus might be reached through a protocol embodying the treaty and leaving the question of the League to further consideration. It should be premised that no one can initiate peace except the President of the United States, who is vested by the Constitution with this power. No one can make a protocol of peace except the President. If therefore, the President deem it essential that the Senate should act upon the treaty as he submits it, there can be no protocol as long as he maintains that attitude, nor indeed could the protocol be concluded without the consent of Germany. In other words, all these propositions are nothing but conditional ratification on the basis of radical amendments, and they all will postpone indefinitely the coming of peace. Meantime the other great Powers, under the terms of the treaty as they are now reported, can ratify the treaty and establish peace with Germany so far as they are concerned. In this way the anoma lous condition will be presented of a state of war between Germany and ourselves while peace prevails between Germany and Great Britain, Germany and France, Germany and Italy, and Germany and Japan. This obviously disadvantageous condition for our industries and this delay in the resumption of our trade with Germany should make the business community of the United States scrutinize with care the reasons for substantially amending the covenant or attempting to dissect it out of the treaty. The creation of the League of Nations will mark four great steps forward: 1. Limitation of armament. What is the objection? It is that if we limit our armament, we paralyze our Government in its defense of our liberties and our institutions against external aggression, and we expose ourselves naked to our enemies. The objection is entirely without weight. We limit our armament in consideration of the nations of the League limiting theirs. Our limit is adjusted proportionately to theirs, having due regard to the more or less exposed position of each nation, its obligations to the League and its need for domestic use of armament. serve 2. The provision by which members of the League undertake to respect and preas against external aggression the the territorial integrity and existing political independence of all its members. Article X is the heart of the League. It is said that this will involve the United States in wars to protect nations in distant parts of the world in whose welfare we have no interest and will call for an expenditure of money and the lives of our boys in which we ought not to involve our country. This is not true. The effect of the organization of the League, with the threat against any nation who should violate Article X, and attempt a war of conquest against another nation, will be to restrain that nation and prevent its beginning war, |