New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-01-15
Enforced World Peace

regard to the League 10 Enforce Peace as
has lately been made by Mr. Roosevelt ana
also BY Dr. Dutton You say: "lf such
league is formed every nation will have to
submit its differences with other nations to
The international concert and accept its de-
ci,ions. with the alternative Of carrying on
a sinrle-handed fight against the rest OF the
world
The proposal Of the League to Enforce
Peace is that the nations should unite IN
using their forces to prevent the breaking OF
peace before the grievance Of the nation
which wishes 20 declare war has been fully
stated TO an international tribunal The
plain purpose is 70 invoke the power Of public
opinion TO prevent war. and the United States
viii in no way sacrifice any Of its policies by
srrecing to state the reasons that it may have
for coerciye measures before using ITS power
The proposals OF the league do not include
the enforcing Of the decisions Of any tribunal
hut the league insists that the causes and
motives for a conflict be fully disclosed and
thoroughly considered, confident that in this
wav the public opinion Of the world will be
80 aroused that the probability Of another
war will he remote.
WILLIAM IN NNAAli@i i i~At'+''
New York. January T.. 1917.
Mr.. Schicfelin's letter covers much
the same ground as the letter, published
in our issue Of January IL, from Mr.
Hamilton Holt, chairman Of the execu-
tive committee Of the New York State
branch Of the American association
known as the League to Enforce Peace.
We unhesitatingly accept the statements
of these two gentlemen as to the aims and
purposes Of that association. The Trlb-
une could not have mistaken those aims
and purposes however, because no dis
cussion of them whatever was under
taken in the editorial Of January g.
We may say. in passing, that if the
American socicty's programme is what
il is described to be the Society's title is
certainly a misnomcr. This league is not
league to enforce peace. It IS only
league to delay the issuance of declara-
tions Of war. II is aiming at the same
results as are schievable under the one
year-delay treaties negotiated by Mr.
Bryan and now in force between the
United States and many other countries
the list including Great Britain, France,
Italy and most OF the Latin-Americsn
nations.
The association for which Mr.. Schief-
felin and Mr. Holt speak wants to create
an international concert to compel ma
ton having a grievance against another
nation to submit that grievance to court
or council Of Cancellation before attempt
ing to settle it by war If the decision Of
the court or counsel is unsatisfactory 70
st the nation chcrshing the grievance may
declare war without further interference
ON the part Of the concert.
This plan is good enough as far as it
goes But it is not a plan to end war
between nations. It does not meet the de-
mand for permanent peace made so acute
by the great world tragedy Of the last
two years and a half Il is a feeble
makeshift What the world wants an In
ternational concert to Go--if there is to be
an international concerts to stop war
by mediation, If that sufIiccs, but by
force. if force is necessary. If disputes
between nations are to be submitted to
international judgment, that judgment
ought to be final 1t ought to be com
ple,ely enforceable
\ Nations now declare war in their own
! right II their sovereignty in this re-
spect is to be abridged in the interest Of
world peace, why shouldn't that abridge-
ment be drastic enough TO make world
peace certain and permanent? Certainly
the international concert to maintain
peace which statesmen and governments
arc now talking about is concert which
will be vested with police power as well
as with moral authority--a concert whose
determinations are TO be backed up by
sufficient military force to overawe any
dissentcr therefrom.
We had in view concert of this sort
and Of no other sort, when we said week
ago: III such a league is formed every
nation will have to submit its differences
with other nations to the international
concert and accept its decisions, with the
alternative of carrying on a single-handed
fight against the rest Of the world
That is certainly the kind of concert
which President Wilson was talking about
in his recent peace note TO the belliger-
cnts. in that note he said each lsidel
wishes itself TO be made secure in the
future, along with other nations and PEG
pies. against the recurrence of wars like
this and against aggression or selfish in
reference Of any kind"
Further, the President wrote Each
is ready to consider the formation Of a
league Of nations to insure peace and JUS