Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-04-21
ONE PHASE OF LEAGUE
RECEIVES NO attention
Territorial Expansion Is Omitted
From Covenant.
FEAR PROBLEMS WILL GROW
Rapid Growth OF Small COM
munitics May Force the People
to Move to Other Lands Less
Thickly Settled.
by JUSTIN McGRATH.

WASHINGTON. April 20.-There is
one phase OF the league Of nations
little II any attention in the general
discussion. but some who have given
think It deserving OF the gravest con
1t is the omission from the covenant
OF any provision to take care Of the
pansion in the future.
In his great speech on presenting
the text OF the covenant to the peace
conference, President Wilson put strong
emphasis on the statement OF his con-
PARIS the to be ba
pies and not OF the governments.
And yet the argument is urged
which the world is expected to i've
tain the rigid Territorial lines which
power Of the league to crush any peo-
Pile seeking to. break them.
the peaes o IL ss sH pe
nations covenant. which will be Coupled
the future work against the interests
OF the people. There is possibility.
some think, that 1T might be used to
wishes and dire needs of the peoples
boundaries Important.
IT the territorial boundaries to be
osta biishcd in the treaty OF Paris are
peaceful Arrangement. and II any at,
tempt. TO change them by violence Will
be put down by the force OF the league.
tain TO grow in number. When people
cannot lind the means of sustenance
in their own country they will seek
from so doing there will be revolution,
and II they are permitted to settle else
sorbing them Into the citizenship Of
the country in which they elect to To-
1t Is not at all unlikely that some
Of the peoples confined in Comparative
~ small territory by the Paris treaty
may prove most prolific and most pro-
populated that part of Austria which
Is now 10 be erected into q separate
republic for them; as the Roumanians
settled In great numbers In Transyl-
vania; as the Italians populated Trieste
and the Da lmat!an coast, so 1t proba-
find difficulty in getting the e'i land To op
employment necessary to sustain them
IN IN ,he,r own Inn Sopntry WI seek them
country. And when II happens through
migration that Il government no longer
represents the majority OF the people
way in which the government can be
made to conform TO the character OF
u ,hs majority tSys, Of ,os tho pe9ps who I've
repetition In the world OF the condi-
ton which led TO the world war.
Some Essential Facts.
Just how serious this question OF
peopes is can DO
by the consideration of few facts
with respect. to the present division
81 JAPAN sns w' w,S f 5sssSeoo people has
China, with sso,G?oooo people. has L.
tTas, these 'e ngnre es With ,he r Iqe
OF the British empire. 437.947,4a2 in
hae'tants and i3,lSs,7l2 square miles
sns Sssi sauS2s MICS and
empire has s7,s,2ooo .nha ne aSs"a to
soS,7os square miles OF territory. Now
iha t, Germany has lost her colonies
dispatch OF Won Wiegand last week,
are considering how Germany Is to
psope R the At ness e Seaps Ct sss
will they shove" them? WIN they
Sndeavor to have them migrate 70
American Countries be -, will hn to oT rer
ceive them? And even IL they are will
ing. will the United States regard
s con and without objection
of Germans in lands embraced by the
Monroe Doctrine?
Question of Outlets.
The question of outlets. or rather
Germany and Japan. not to speak of
other countries. is q problem which
will press for solution in the i'm
mediate future.
The proposed league of nations
covenant makes no provision for TAX
ing care OF these problems and any
other similar problems that may arise.
But to ignore them will serve only
to aggravate their seriousness.
Peoples that can find no relief from
the league of nations will be forced
by their necessities to seek relief out
side of the league
Before the league covenant shall
have been finally adopted, this ques-
ton OF providing for the Legitimate
expansion OF peoples is one that should
receive attention.
No territorial status that has ever
existed in this world has withstood
the progress of peoples.
Consequently any world peace ar
rangement that is to be enduring must
contain u provision under which the
Progress of a people can be recognized
and taken care OF in such q way as
to obviate any necessity for &C resort
to violence.