Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-06-12

discussing the formation Of a League o.
Peace The movement, IN tDhich this meet
ir0 tciH be an important step, 'ods started b.
Dr. HdmiIton Holt, and has the sanction o.
eD- President Taft, President LotCeH, of Har'
vard, and the Hon. Theodore Mdrbur0, 4
leading authority on diplomacy and internd-
ttondl lao, and other distinguished citizens.
TTIHE failure Of existing institutions to
i prevent war points to the need Of sane
tion. All the present Hague institutions for
the settlement Of international disputes are
voluntary. Nations may or may not resort
to the Permanent Court Of Arbitration, to
the International Commission Of Inquiry, to
Mediation and Good Offices, according as
they see At,
Many men formerly satisfied with these
voluntary institutions now believe that the
element Of obligation must be added It is
only a question Of how far they are willing
to 60 Shall we, through the united action
Of the nations, forbid war. OF should we
simply compel disputants to resort to inati-
tutions already In existence or hereafter to
be set up in the honest endeavor to compose
their quarrels before they are allowed to
make the appeal to arms7
In planning new league manifestly a
first duty is TO ascertain why the leagues
Of the past have failed. And our search
need not carry us far afleld.
| We are confronted at once with the fact
that each of these leagues was composed of
small number Of Powers 80 small as to
permit of collusion to prey upon nations out
side the league or of the wilful triumph Of
selfish interests to the injury both of its
other members and of the world at large.
Within the State the cause Of Justice Ia
advanced under democratic regime by tho
play of opposing interests, the interests of
one individual against the interests Of an
other individual, OF one class against an
other class and by the united thinking Of
the many This leads to the conclusion that
II we can SGT up a league which shall en-
brace all the progressive nations big and
little, we may look for wise and just action
from It.
Specifically, this would give to the league
the eight great Powers-including the United
states-the secondary Powers OF Europe, and
the "a B C" countries of South America
In this group we find three great peoples
with common political aspirations, namely
those OF Great Britain, France and the
United States peoples which no longer re-
gard democracy a passing phase Of politi-
cal experiment, but as a permanent fact of
politics. We find in 1t two powerful nations,
Great Britain and the United States which
may be said to be satisfied territorally. We
find, moreover, a group OF smaller nations
with no disturbing ambitions
Now, desirable plan would embrace such
a broad league, a league which should not
itself attempt to pronounce upon international
disputes, but would refer the dsputants to
certain institutions for the settlement of con-
troverses and insist that they may not re-
sort to war.
In such a project we ind four progressive
stages:
First stage-Institutions such as we now
have, supplemented by true court OF Jus
tice all of which institutions shall be purely
voluntary or faoultative.
Second stage-The element Of obligation
added, in so far as the nations shall bind
themselves to resort to these institutions.
Third stage-The further addition Of an
agreement to have the league act as an in
ternational grand Jury to hale the nation
lawbreaker into court and to use force to
bring It there II recalctrant.
Fourth stage-The final addition OF an
agreement to use force II need be, to execute
the award OF the tribunal.
Now, how much OF this desirable" plan is
a ''reallzable' proJect2
The difficulty that faces us with regard to
the last two steps is the reluctance of ma
tions to make the surrender of sovereignty
and independence which they involve 1t
means that the signatories bind themselves
to make war, under certain conditions, in the
common interest. Can the United States
Senate be brought to such a view of it's duty
to mankind? The last step, that of enforc-
ing the award. involves likewise the danger
of oppression unless the league charged with
such a duty should embrace all or nearly all
Of the progressive nations. On the other
hand, the demand that controversies be re-
ferred TO a tribunal and that the decision OF
such tribunal be awaited before making war
involves no danger of oppression. 1t is a
reasonable demand. A project which an
cluded bringing a nation into the presence
Of tribunal but made no attempt to exc
cute the award could therefore be safely in
stituted by a league embracing all, or nearly
all, Of the great Powers without awaiting
the adherence OF Ehe secondary Powers,
though the presence OF the latter would make
the league all the stronger.
As the nation which consented 30 to refer
its disputes to a tribunal would not be
obliged either by its own promise or by the
will of the league to observe the award, the
proceedings would be much in the nature of
a mere inquiry, But since publicity tends to
correct not only illegal practices but unjust
ones, too, and does it without resort TO a
court Of law or even TO tribunal OF arbi-
tration, it is felt that in the majority OF
cases the controversy would be stiIled by in
vestigation alone
1t will be observed that the plan here pro-
posed moves forward the present practice in
two particulars. namely, in binding the sig
natories 70 resort to international institu-
tions for the settlement OF controversies be-
fore making war and In compelling them so
to do II recalcitrant.
nhIa b far. snrnn rnnrn ~ LII. -.