Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-10-02
The BUFFER NATFlE!;S,'.

1HE BUTTER STATES
In his address at Red Lake Fails General Glenn dis
cussed at some length the status of the so-caled buffer
states which have been erected in various parts of Eu-
rope, and which now separate the newly constituted Ger
man nation from some of its large neighbors. The ere
alton of buffer states has been a common practice in the
past. The ostensible purpose was to preserve the pub
lie peace by making its violation more difficult. And
in this there has never been any marked degree OF sue
cess. We have had a conspicuous example Of the fall
ure of the plan in the experiences of the great war. Bel
GUM was expected to serve as a buffer between Germany
and France. Yet Germany chose as her easiest way Of
access to France a road right through. the heart of
Belgium, although she had her choice of many miles
where her own territory touched that Of France. The
experience Of Poland as a buffer state resulted in Po-
land being wiped out. And General Glenn reaches the UNI
a%voidable conclusion that the existence Of the new buffer
states cannot Of itself be regarded as insuring peace.
We must cease to regard these new states as buffers,
placed where they are to receive the brunt of the first
blows which ambitious powers aim at each other. Their
existence is justifiable only on the ground that it provides
a means whereby peoples having common interests and
ideals sufficient to create in them the desire to be thrown
together in separate national groups to provide for their
own government in an orderly way, and to build their
own future according to their own capacity. Poland,
Czecho-slovakia and Jugo-slavia are entitled to this rec
ognition at the hands of the world.
But the world will be doing these people a poor
service If it merely gives them written permission to exist
as nations, and then washes its hands of them. Left thus
these nations would but repeat the experience of the
past, and they would continue to exist only while the
ambitions and jealousies of one of the more powerful
nations were offset by the ambitions and jealousies of
another. and while each shrank from armed aggression
only because of fear of the consequences to itself.
The constitution of the League of Nations makes
the specific declaration that war or the threat Of war.
anywhere, is the concern of all the members, or, in other
words, of the whole world. This is an official recognition
of a self-evident fact which has not until now been given
formal and official sanction. Nations have been ten
acious of their dignity, and it has been considered bad
with the operations of another which did not affect it
directly and primarily. To return to the case of Bel
GUM. every intelligent person knew that Germany had
no business in Belgium, yet the United States remained
silent when Belgium was invaded because, according to
the old theories, what happened between Germany and
Belgium was none of our business. We knew that it was
our business. Yet regard for ancient forms gagged and
trammeled us.
There is written into the constitution of the League
the declara ton that such things as the violation of Bel
GUM and the attempted destruction of Serbia are the
concern of the whole world, and the formal acceptance
of that principle will make it both the duty and the rec
ognized right Of every peaceful member of world society
to Join with its neighbors for the preservation of world
peace when that peace is threatened. 1t will be both
according to the principles of right and the recognized
usages for the world to warn Germany to keep her
hands of her small %neighbors; to notify Austria. if nee
essary, that she must not NEEDLE with Bohemia; to have
the little Balkan nations understand that they must keep
their armed forces within their own borders and violate
neither the persons nor the property of their neighbors.
With world sentiment crystalized in support Of such a
program in most cases a warning will be sufficient. II
that does not suffice, the economic boycott can be applied,
And, if the offending nation still proves stubborn, its need
for physical discipline will have been made so apparent
that there will be no difficulty in reaching the requisite
unanimous decision to commend military action.