The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1919-02-21
LEAGUE OF NATIONS.

@N While lacking the positive force TO
execute its DEGREES the constitution
adopted by the League of Nations at
Paris will have behind it the moral
forces of civilization and should guar
antee to the world long peace. 1t
is objected to by many for this very
reason being declared little more than
a court OF arbitration, while any idea
OF an international army and navy
would have subjected it to the disap-
prevail OF those who are unwilling to
surrender their national sovereignty
to sort of super-nation.. The world
may progress to point when we can
have one great federalized republic
but that day is far distant. In any
event the work of the delegates was
we'll done and while The Herald does
not believe that the time for wars
and rumors OF wars is forever past, it
does see in the League of Nations
covenant of peace between the great
civilized nations of the world prom
Use of peace that will at least enable
the people to recover from the cost
and devastation of the recent catas-
trophe.
go The idea that underlies the League
OF Nations is not new. 1t is as old as
modern Europe The same principle
brought into being the old concert Of
nations or balance of power. The OBJ
ject Of the balance of power was not
to carry on war with success, but to
avoid war altogether by establishing
common interest and obligation in
the maintenance of the conditions Of
peace. That assuredly is a pretty
good description of the objects which
President Wilson and the other states
men associated with him have sought
to attain in the treaty just agreed
upon.
Strangely enough, and it is the irony
Of fate that the first idea of gener-
al congress of nations to end the hor-
rors of a great war then raging orig
n mated with the then Emperor of the
! old German empire or Confederation.
saaThat was in 1910 and out of it grew
the great congress of Westphalia
" which assembled on July II, 1913.
III This congress contained representa-
~ t;yas ~ n1J fba them n;yiEznd nouutriec
n of Europe which were practically all
the civilized countries of the world.
The congress was composed of medi-
ating or neutral nations and the belig-
arefent Catholic and Protestant nations.
The great treaty of Westphalia was
signed on October "a, 1e4S, and be-
came the public law of Europe or the
international law of the world, for as
stated, at that period Of the worlds
history civilization as We know and
understand it, was practically confined
IN to the nations OF Europe. This trea-
ty marked the first official recognition
N OF the balance of power.
Under the terms of this treaty me-
dating powers were conferred on
France and Sweden and they were
given the right of Intervention to up
hold the provisions of the treaty. In
: other words the rights guaranteed un-
der the treaty were safeguarded by
external weights which could be
brought into action. The intervening
powers were constituted the interna-
tional police force, as we would ex.
press it today, to execute the constitu.
ton Of the congress should resort to
force be necessary. In this feature
the congress of Westphalia had dis
!. stfpct advantage or disadvantage over
the League of Nations according
as one may view the wisdom or evil
\, of force to guarantee peace.
u The fundamentals of the treaty OF
Il Westphalia were recognized and re-
newed as the conditions of the general
: peace of Europe down to the French
!. revolution. Its terms evidently were
sg not wholly absent from the minds OF
the delegates who composed the cele-
brated congress of Vienna in 1915.
They only received their death blow
at the hands of the Prussian govern
"a ment in 1866 and 1870 just as the re-
~ manning yestiges of international law
were ruthiessly set aside by the Prus-
sian government in 1914.
This first chart of international
rights and peace guarantees had many
merits, but it did not secure unbrok-
en- peace for long. However, there was
no general war between the great
powers of Europe until that of the
Z Spanish succession sixty years there
after. No peace congress in the his
tory of the world has been so thor
: oughly discussed as the next great
meeting, of the representatives of all
the then leading powers of the earth,
Of Sn 1S16