The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-07-16
NECESSITY OF A
LEAGUE OF NATIONS
Should Eliminate War In Ninety
Nine Out of One Hundred
Cases.


that League of Nations is not only
desirable but an absolute necessity
and for three reasons, any one of
which would be sufficient to justify
that phrase.
First, it is necessity for winding
up the war. We must not forget that
this war has unsettled almost every
thing; has destroyed nations, and
has created new nations on paper,
such as Finland, Poland, Czecho- Slo-
vakia, Jugo-S lavia, the Ukraine and
the Balkan States and some semi
Independent bodies like Armenia, the
Caucasus. and Palestine. These small
states will be even more at the mercy
of the great states than Belgium was,
IL we do not guarantee in some way
their independence.
Then there are the great problems
of the landlocked countries, which
must have an outlet to the sea, and of
certain international areas, like the
Bosphorus, which must be admins
tered by league of nations Then
there are the German Colonies, which
need, for obvious reasons, to be ad-
ministered internationally.
Finally, as Mr.. Taft predicted, this
peace treaty is as long as the moral
law. 1t will require Interpretation,
and it will require enforcement, for
both of which we need a league of
nations.
Secondly, we need it in order to
avoid a recurrence of what has con-
stituted a veritable curse even in
times Of peace, competitive arma-
ments.
International cut-throat competition
in armies and navies leaves the ma
tons in the end in substantially the
same relative positions as in the be-
ginning. Yet we must each in self
defense, keep up in this race. To Eu
rope this will mean economic ruin; to
us, high taxes.
There are business men who are
fighting shy of the idea of a league
of nations with the thought that it is
going to unsettle trade internationally
afraid. perhaps, that the tariff will
be disturbed in some way But any
possible gain that could be had by
maintaining the status quo would be
cancelled many times over by the loss
from the taxes-enormously high
which would be required to keep up
our end in this international compe
tition in ornaments. Our own coun-
try, in spite of its wealth, would be
reduced a long way toward poverty.
This world would be scarcely fit to
live in.
We have reached the parting of the
ways as to our policy on ornaments.
Either we must compete with the rest
Of the world, or combine with the
rest Of the world.
The third and most important rea-
son for league is to prevent the re-
currence of a world war.
A league should eliminate war in
80 out of 100 cases, because it af-
fords another way than war to settle
the inevitable disputes. A collective
police force takes the place of ma
tional military forces. The national
pride which so often leads to war will
be transferred to keeping treaties.
No longer will a nation need to go to
war to save it's face" rather than re-
cede from an untenable position; for
the award of the third party will pre-
serve its self-respect Furthermore,
whatever disarmament takes place
will tend to diminish the danger of
war and reduce its scale if it comes.
Many people are Indifferent to or
scornful of the idea of a league Of
nations chiefly because they lack the
imagination to realize the horrible
alternative.
In order then to wind up this war,
to prevent oppressive taxes in times
of peace, and to prevent future wars,
we need League of Nations.
But besides these three reasons,
which are purely selfish, there is a
reason which outweighs them all r.
respective of our interests, irrespec-
tive of the fortunes of any man or
party, we are in honor bound to do
this thing. Our boys went abroad to
make the world safe for democracy
end to do 1t forever We owe it to
them that their labors shall not have
been in vain. We are talking about
erecting monuments to them-mamo-
rial arches, and bridges, and build
ings. Let us first erect a monument
which will not only commemorate but
perpetuate their work, the monument
Of League of Nations
IRVING FISHER.
Professor Yale University
Dept Political Economy