PEACE PACT

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 5 January 1929, Page 7

PEACE PACT

LATE EDITION

EFFECT ON MONROE DOCTRINE SENATOR BORAH'S STATEMENT. CHALLENGED IN THE SENATE. .'Umt-;d Pre-vs Association—By Electric Telegraph Copyright.) (Australian Press Association.) Received 12.35 p.m. to-day. WASHINGTON Jan. 4. Republican reservationi-sts and Democrats plied Senator Borah, with a. barrage, of questions when he re-opened the Senate debate over the Kellogg treaty. Senator McLean (Republican) challenger senator Borah’s statement that the Monroe Doctrine was protected by the treaty’s recognition of the right of self-defence. Senator McLean said that Mr Kellogg had defined self-defence as the right of a nation tp protet its territory, and that inasmuch as South America was not United States territory, the Senate should specifically provide a safeguarding oliause. He added that !he understood the South American nations had objected, or would object, to ratification of the treatv without .some such safeguarding clause’. Senator Borah disputed Seantor McLean’s deductions and argued that Mir Kellogg bad not intended) to restrict his definition of self-defence, and that he had 1 specifically permitted every country to decide for itself what it considered to be self-defence. He added: “If this treaty is ratified, we have just as much right to defend or interpret the 1 Monroe Doctrine as if it (the treaty) had never been thought of.”

Democrats, headed by Senators Glass, Swanson and Caraway, attempted to elicit from Senator Borah a statement as to what effect would have been created if the League of Nations had intervened in the recent Pa.raguayRolivia dispute and had used the coercive method under Article 10 of the League Covenant. Senator Borah replied that even the use of coercive methods by Europe in a dispute would not have _ been a violation of the Monroe Doctrine. He said : “Force hod been used by other nations several times in South America, and there had never been an objection by the United States. Ido not believe the Monroe Doctrine would apply if force were used for an amicable settlement of disputes and not for the purpose of acquiring power or territory in South America.” He declared that the pending treaty would not affect the situation.