Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1916-11-30
The League to Enforce Peacu--
1t Had a Predecessor
From tho Spectator. London, Enc.

a sense more pathetic, than the WAY \"
which the world forgets it's past and all
the lessons OF history when its emotions
are moved, and when there is something
which it longs for greatly. Take the case
of peace and the attempts to devise some
scheme for abolishing war. Men see the
horror and the wickedness of war, ana
recognize also it's folly and futilitY. Az
once they set to work devising schemes
10Y making. as they say. fresh wars I'M
possible. But they forget that during AZ
most every great war of which we have a
record similar schemes were drawn up 20
lay the foundations of a lasting concord
and to prevent future appeals to arms: IN
fact. to enforce peace. Yet these prevl-
Gus efforts. though they were quite as
carefully thought out and quite as sincere
ly entertained as are the new efforts,
| failec entirely.
A league to enforce peace was estab-
Nshed In America some Is months ago.
Its aims and efforts were described by Mr..
Taft in the american number OF the
Manchester Guardian. notlced by us last
week. Mr.. Taft sets forth the four objects
or the League to Enforce Peace. and the
methods by which the league seeks to at
tain them. The objects themselves are
excellent, but the methods for attaining
them are. We venture to say, either quite
futile or else positively dangerous. How
ever, We are not going to argue that point
with Mr.. Taft on general grounds, for we
should not convince him or his friends,
and we might very likely give an I'M
! PRECISION, which is the last we desire to
give that we are careless of the interests
of peace, or do not realize the vast evils
of war. What we desire to point out Is
tnat the proposals of the League to En-
force Peace were tried 100 years ago with
the most unsatisfactory results No doubt
We shall be told-Even If this he so, why
4 nor FRY, C "a T 10 .n.fll Nil tn
break a thousand lanccs In an effort to
free the world from the demon of war"
We agree, and however hopeless we
thought the task of enforcing peace, We
should say to the league: do your best
with Gods blessing if we We're not
firmly convinced that not merely must the
efforts of the leaguers fail. but that their
attempts to attain the impossible will do
positive harm to the cause of peace. IT
only tie leaguers can Ne persuaded to try
for much less than their present program,
and to try for it in a different way, they
may attain a much greater practical sue
cess.
The grounds on which we rest our con-
tentfon that there is nothing to BE got out
of the League to Enforce Peace are set
forth In a book of true historical learning
and insight by Mr., Alison Phillips. The
Confederation of Europe" published by
Messrs. Longmans in 1914. The subtitle of
''iN 'ibiii' ~ STUDY IL llle EllIt pGiD Al
lance. 1S13-1S23. as an Experiment in the
international Organization of Peace, "
shows the nature of tho worlS-a work
which, we may add, was founded on lee
lures delivered in oxford in 1918, and
therefore before the war. For present
purposes one OF the most important things
that MIR. Alison Phillips shows us is that
before the great French war was half
way through statesmen here and else
Who're had, as now. begun To consider. not
merely how to bring the war ia a sue
cessful issue, but how to insure peace for
the future, They saw, as now. that they
We're really fighting to secure peace. But
what WAS the use of securing peace unless
That peace could be made perrnanont2
Therefore we find not only men of n Vi
sio1ary character like Alexander ! of Rus
sia, but practical statesmen of modera-
ton and sound common sense like William
Pitt, throwing themselves Enthusiastically
into the plan of a League to Enforce
peace. In answer to the Very striking, If
somewhat vague. Instructions given by
Alexander in 1904, which Were laid before
Pitt. the great English statesman de-
clared that the concert or third coalition
Tor carving on the war against France
which Pitt was then constructing should
have as one of its three essential objects
the establishment of 20 convention and
guarantee for the mutual protection and
security of the different powers, and the
establishment in Europe of a general svs-
tenn of public law" Pitts remarks on the
third proposal were as follows:
Much" h says, will have been
done for the repose of Europe by
territorial re-arransements. but in
order to make this security as rer-
feet as possible. it seems necessary that
| at the time of the general pacifcation n
treaty. should be concluded, in which all
| the principal European powers should take
| part. by which their possessions ard their
respective rights. as then established,
powers should all engage reciprocallv TO
| protect and supper. each other against
| all attempts to violate it. This treaty
would 1--WE to Europe a ecnoral system Gf
as far as possible, future attompte 10
trouble the general trarnuilitv. and above
all to defeat every project of aegran9',e-
| mont erd amhiti0n. such az those which
| have produced all the d'sasters bv Which
F'Ironc has been afflicted since the nm
| hanpN era of the French revolution. Tive
first 'senarate ard secret article of the
| treaty of hnril II. 1905. between R,,ssia
and Great Britain embodied these views in
- formal e~ngapamnnt. Their m ai~eeties
II ran. who take the most lively interest
N the discussion and n~ecise definition Of
| the law OF nations and In the guarantee NJ
( Its observance Nv general consent and ny
the establishments IN T7urono Of a fednra,
tive system. to insure tho Independence or
barrier against tho ambition of the moro
~rownrFrl. will GORE to a., amicah,e ur7erl
standing anon~ them ~elve. no To r,L,+
ever WAY concern these objects. and win
forn' an Intimate union for the purpose q,
roa'z'n" thar harrv Effects"
though Pitt did not live to see the at
tempt to carry out the third clause Of the
coalition. its spirit was kept alive nv
Alexander. and we find that the preamble
OF the treaty OF kalisch made between