Williston graphic., 1918-12-26
LEAGUE ORGANIZED
IN THREE STATES
PLANS WILL BE MADE, GER
MANY INFORMED, AND THEN
LEAGUE WILL BE FORMED

Paris, Dec. 23.-The Matin today
was authorized to print an article
which was censored yesterday. The
article, the first headline of which
read yesterdays Utopia Tomor-
rows Reality sets forth the manner
of procedure of the promoters of a
league of nations acting in agree
ment with the Allied governments"
The formation of a league of ma
tions the article says will be in three
stages. The Allied governments will
decide the principles of such an or
ganization which will include CON-
pulsory arbitration and limitation of
armaments. Germany and her form
er allies will then be told that they
must accept these principles, after
which the treaty Of peace will be
formulated. Later a conference will
be held to discuss the formation Of a
league. Neutrals will be admitted,
the article continues, but Germany
would not have an equal standing un-
til she had expiated her misdeeds and
before she can do 50 an international
organization will be working.
"There will be three stages" the
Matin says. First, the Allied gov
ernments will settle among them
selves the principles of league. As
a fundamental rule they will set. down
the right Of peoples to decide their
own destines. AS practical conse-
quence it follows that there will be
limitation of armaments and compul-
sorry arbitration among the nations.
1t seems indispensable that at this
point the Entente countries bind
themselves to put these clauses in
the preliminaries of peace.
1T has appeared absolutely neces-
sary to the promoters that the regime
of the future world should be fixed in
its main outline before there are any
questions of indemnities and terri
tories, so that for the first time in
history the deliberations of the pleni-
potentiaries should be dominated by
higher ideals than mere individual! in
terest. ' A..
"The second act will consist in
notifying the enemy powers of the
fundamental principles laid down in
the preliminaries and requiring from
them their adhesion to these prin-
ciples. AS to other conditions Of
peace preliminaries, as in the case of
stipulations Of a territorial, financial
and economic character, no discus
sion will be admitted. The Entente
delegates will say to Germany and
her Allies:
"Compulsory arbitration and limi-
tation of armaments are integral
parts of our conditions. You must
subscribe to them at once. You will
know later how these principles will
be applied
"The preliminaries once signed, de-
tails of the peace treaty will be dis
cussed among the belligerents and
only after the signing of this treaty
of peace proper will the third stage
be reached. This will be universal
conference to settle the new relations
to be created between the peoples.
ITO this conference neutrals may be
admitted. No nation, however, will
be admitted to full membership in
the league of nations if it does not
offer sufficient guarantees. Germany,
having started the war, will have
been condemned by the peace confer
ence to make restitution and repara-
tion. She cannot be regarded as be-
ing on an equal footing with other
nations until she has paid her debt.
Germany has committed crime and
she must atone for it before she can
be admitted to the ranks of honest
and civilized peoples.
meanwhile the other countries will
be united by formal agreements,
world police will have been created
and sanctions of all kinds will have
been instituted. An international tri-
bunal will be working and the spectre
of war, as far as is humanely pos
sible, will be banished from the path
of civilization"