Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-05-06
PLANS FOR LEAGUE
/. TO ENFORCE PEACE
British Form Of Organization
as Explained by Former
Ambassador Bryce.
REPORTED BY COMMITTEE

Correspondence Of the Associated Press.
LONDON, April 27.-The British plan
for a League to Enforce Peace. as drawn
up by a committee headed by Viscount
Bryce, former American ambassador. has
just been made public here. although II
was prepared two years ago, thus ante
dating the plan of the American league
1t goes further than the American plan
: in providing means to enforce decisions
upon aggressive and recalcitrant nations
In a predatory. note to the outline OF
the British scheme Lord Bryce says;
THE frightful catastrophe of the pres
,ent war, involving more than half the
ehuman race and bringing grave evils on
neutral nations also has driven thoughtfui
<men to reflect on the possibility OF nno-
ling means by which the risk OF future
wars may be dispelled or at least largely
reduced. The only effective and perma-
.,nent remedy would be to convince the
.several peoples Of the world that they
.have far more to lose than to gain from
sstrife, and to replace by a sentiment OF
mutual international good will the yiofnt
national antagonsms that now exist But
this, we may well fear, would be slow
process
: Meantime that which may be done.
and which it seems possible to do at once,
Ga to provide machinery by and through
(which the volume of international public
fopinion which favors peace may be en-
,abled to express itself and bring its power
80 bear upon any nation in which there
Snay from time to time exist a spirit OF
aggression or a readiness to embark on
WAR in pursuit of selfish interests or at
.she bidding of national pride.
WAR Suggests Nature of Machinery.
THE nature of the machinery required
- indicated by some facts which this war
aias brought out in strong relief. These
sre:
! First. the increased risks to peace that
Srise from the increased speed with
which communications between govern
.hents meditating war are exchanged, and
tith which momentous decisions are taken.
{ Second. the difficulty neutral nations
find in ascertaining the merits of a dis
yute which has led to war. and thus in
Judging between the disputants and
throwing to one or other side the weight
their opinion
Third. the gigantic scale on which war
IL now waged. compelling governments, in
oAier to secure themselves from sudden
of'slaughts, to maintain naval and military
al maments incomparably larger than ever
bttore, and thereby laying intolerable bur-
dk7s on the peoples.
:The machinery needed to meet these
exhibitions would seem to be:
First the prescribing of certain
psp1od of time within which steps could
BIT taken to settle a dispute amicably
before resort to arms
rSeCOnQ, means Tor aSCerta1n1ng the
faets and clearing up the issues in dis
pug e. so as to facilitate the forming of
an impartial opinion upon the merits.
trhird, arrangements between pa
officially minded nations for mutual pro-
te'ision against sudden attack by a
state which refuses to allow time for
Investigating and trying to secure an
anscable adjustment Of its claims.
Would Become Effective Agency.
st may reasonably be hoped that If
sorse scheme calculated to attain these |
objects were adopted by a considerable |
number of states. the opinion of neu-I
trat nations, being better instructed |
anG having vehicle for it's express
sio.. would become more effective
forse than it has been hitherto in the |
war of deterring aggressive govern
mests from war.
livery one seems to feel the approach
Of = supremely important moment II
the. opportunity which the close of the
present conflict will offer for the pro-
vision of means to avert future wars
be lost, another such opportunity may
never reappear. If things are not then
made better the prospect for mankind
will be darker than ever and the con-
ditian of the world will have grown
worse, because the recurrence of like
calamities will have been recognized as
thing to be expected and their causes
as beyond all human cure.
s(Signed) BRYCE"
Committees Plan.
The plan as outlined by Lord Bryces
committee is as follows:
The draft treaty is not a project for
tnternationa. government 1t is the
project of treaty between sovereign
states. and is intended to suggest not
remote ideal. but something that may
be Immediately practicable when the
war, is over. 1t proposes not to make
wal. impossible, but to make it less
probable, by the creation of new in
ternational machinery whereby what,
II is hoped. will be the general will to
peace may find effective expression
The treaty would constitute. IL adopted
not "a league of some states against
others. but a union of as many as pos
sible in the common interest of all.
The states included in the union
would bind themselves by treaty:
l. To refer all disputes that might
arise between them, if diplomatic meth
DDS Of adjustment had failed. either to
an strbitral tribunal for judicial de-
cisitsn or to council of Cancellation
Tor Investigation and report.
y. Not to declare war or begin hos
tilitres or hostile preparations until the
TRIBUNAL had decided or the council
had reported
3. To take concerted action. economic
and forcible, against any signatory
powsr that should act in violation of
the preceding condition
~ To take similar action against any
non signatory power that should de-
clare war or begin hostilities or hos
Tile preparations against a signatory
powsr without first submitting the dis
pute4 to peaceable settlement by the
method indicated.
Caercive Action Under Treaty.
"Coercive action by the members or
the Union would be a treaty obligation
only: in the case where a state had re
sorted to force before submitting the
dispute to peaceable settlement. For
the purposes of such action ii is not
proposed to abolish national ornaments
ana substitute force under interna-
tional control. The forces empIoyed
should be the national forces Of the
members of the Union. International
disphtes which diplomacy has failed to
ADJUST would be referred either to iu-
ulclhl process or to Cancellation Thus.
Two classes of disputes are recognized
and TWO processes of adjustment:
l.! The first class of disputes are
caiicd 1ustlclable.' Such disputes are to
De hererred to the Hague court as II
now is or may in future be constituted
or U some other arbitral court
The other class of disputes being
OF course, the class most likely to lead