Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1919-02-14
Progress With the League of Ma
tions Plan, Big Nations Yield
ing to Smaller.
OLD ALLIANCES MAY STAND
America Likely to Be Asked to Gov
ern OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES So
Wet Government Consents to
Conference-German Ma
tional Assembly Con-
Venes In Weimar.
BY EDWARD W. PICARD.

Though the peace conferences com
mission on the league of nations Is
making very considerable progress
with its task, the drafting of the plans
for the organization Is not without
serious difficulties. These last week
centered in the diversity between the
desires of the great powers and the
claims of the smaller nations as to
representation in the league. Before
the close of the week it was an
nounced the commission had agreed
professionally on the prearfSsae and
two-thirds of the articles, but what
these are was not revealed.
Two general plans were laid be-
fore the commission. The first, which
was favored by the small nations, pro-
vided for a legislative branch on
which the large and small nations
would be equally represented, each as
a unit; an executive branch consist"
ing of two members from each OF the
FIVE great powers and nine members
chosen from the small powers; and
arbitration Of international disputes
by three arbitrator. In the second
plan the legislative branch was left
unchanged, but the executive branch
was made to consist chiefly of the
great powers, and instead of arbitra.
ton, there was substituted an execu-
tive council of the great powers as a
tribunal for judging international is
sues.
In a word, the great powers fear
that If all nations are given equal
representation in the league, they will
find themselves in the minority
though their interests might be much
greater, and the small powers fear
that, if not equally represented. they
will be swamped. But the "big five"
shows signs of yielding enough to sat
isfy them.
Concurrently with the work on the
league, the conflicting territorial
claims of the various nations are be-
ing heard and studied, but the estab-
lishment of a principle on which such
claims shall be decided depends so
much on the creation of the league of
nations that action on the report Of
the territory commission is not ex-
pected before the other matter is set
tied.
Just where the United States is 60
ing to 'get off" in all this is a ques-
ton that is worrying many others be-
sides our senators, who debate it fire.
quently. If the orders of the league
are to be backed by force, it might
be necessary to land European troops
In a South American country, and
that is in direct violation Of the Mon
roe doctrine. If the former German
colonies and parts of the Turkish en-
pire are to be governed by manda-
tories of the league, the United States
cannot well evade some of the respon-
sibility and might be called IN to ad-
minister the affairs of Constantinople
and the DardaneIles, maintaining
military as well as civil forces there.
Conceivably, this would arouse the
bitter opposition of a considerable
portion of population, but as we,
through President Wilson, are taking
a leading part in the reconstruction of
the world by the nations that defeated
Germany. we cannot avoid shoulder
ing our share of the resultant l~bor.
Another interesting angle to the
situation was disclosed by the state
ment by British Foreign Secretary
Balfour that the establishment of the
league of nations would not require
the abrogation of international ALI
ances hitherto entered into. Appar-