EQUALITY OF VOTING.
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here is great pretense of alarm because theUnited States has but one vote in the interna-tional assembly, against the six votes of GreatBritain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, SouthAfrica and India. This popular argument 33 against the League of Nations is as insincere asit is superficial. It ignores the fact that the Exe-cutive Council, and not the Assembly, is thegoverning body of the League, and that ourcountry is one of the five countries having per-manent membership in the Council. The colonialvotes exist only in the Assembly. Nor should we forget that France has but onevote; Italy has but one vote} and Japan has butone vote. If there were any injustice in the ar-rangement, surely these nations would havesensed it and objected to it. No affirmative ac-tion can be taken in any essential matter withouta unanimous vote of all members of the Councilof the League. No decision of the League, ifAmerica joined it, could be made effective oreven promulgated without our consent. Likeevery other nation, we have a veto power uponevery resolution or act of the League. We canbe involved in no enterprise except of our ownchoosing; and if we are not satisfied with theLeague, we can sever our connection with it upontwo years’ notice. The risk exists only in theimagination, the service is incalculable. (Ap-plause) Moreover, the United States insisted thatCuba, Haiti, Liberia, Panama, Nicaragua, Hon- 34 dy) |{{||
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