Imperial Valley press., 1919-04-17

understand one anothers point OF
view, and to reconcile or adjust diff,
ferences before they reach an acute
stage. Most plans for a League Of
Nations have, l believe, proposed two
such bodies: one large and compre-
hensive, for the discussion of general
problems, with an opportunity for
the presentation of all possible opin-
ions, but too large for confidential
interchange of ideas; the other small
er, representing mainly those coun-
tries on whom the burden, in case
cf breach Of the peace, would chiefly
rest, a body small enough to work out
in detail recommendation to be sub
mtted to the members of the League
for acceptance, modification or re-
iuction.
Senator Lodge says that if people
get together to talk over things they
are making points of contact, and
points of contact are points of fric
ton. When VOltaire read Rouseau's
book en- "The Natural Man" he said:
"You make me feel like going back
TO the woods and walking on all
fours." If in order to avoid points
Of friction we must isolate the ma
tions, why not isolate every individ.
ual? Points whereby men get to-
gether are not points Of friction. The
sn the whole. thew disagree. lit is
the lone traveller, it is the lone bri-
gand, it is the lone man out on the
plains who carries rifle across his
saddle-bow and "a pistol in his hol-
ster who is likely to fight another
man when he comes in contact with
him;not the man in the great city
It is idle'to suppose that because
you have a conference of men who
meet together that they are likely
to foment strife among themselves
On the contrary, they talk over theil
difficulties, and what is far more
important that anything else, they
learn one another's point of view
We try to encourage men to trave
in other countries, because it creates
points of contact and reduces points
Cf friction. Because it makes people
understand one another and tends or
the whole to the peace of the world
Let us, therefore, have all the
points of contact that we can, and
in such an imaginary League as
have suggested we shall not only
have an arrangement by which ma
tiOns will stop war, but by which
they will have the utmost opportun-
ity Of talking over their difficulties
Let Us have councils; councils with
no authority, if you please, but coun-
ellis to talk.
It will, | think, be generally agreed
by all persons who desire a League
OF Nations that these points are the
essential minimum of any league
that can be effective in preventing
war. Let us now examine how fan
the Covenant of Paris covers these
points and what else it covers.
The ovenant Defectively Drafted.
The Covenant is very defective il
its drafting. In places it is so OBJ
scure that the meaning is often in
accurately expressed and sometimes
doubtful. 1t is easily misunderstood
and has in fact been widely misun
derstood. To give a single example
of what must be defective drafting
Article WI provides that if any
country resorts to war in disregard
Of it's Covenant, the members of tht
I4ed2 uS SIlotll ililHleuIdtely pIeNcilI dl
financial, commercial and persona
intercourse between the nation
(that is, the citizens) of the coven
ant breaking state and the national
of any other state, whether a memDe
Of the League or not. 1t is not diff
ficuIt for members of the League
to prevent their own citizens from
trading with the citizens of the of
Tending country. but how about th'
citizens of other countries not mem
bers of the League? No doubt the
trainers of this clause had in mint
blocade; but what if the offender
land frontiers border upon countries
not members Of the League? Sup
pose, for example, that the new
state of Poland should, contrary tt
her Covenant, attack Czecho- -Slovo
liia. How are the leagued nations
TO prevent the Poles from trading
with the Russians and Germans OF
the East and West? APPARENT,
something here is wrong.
The meaning of the Covenan
should be made perfectly certain, an,
we may assume that every effort vii
be made to effect this, because whel
people know what they intend, anC