The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-07-10


looked, The war had created them, In
all quarters of the world old estab-
lished relationships had been disturbed
or broken and affairs were at loose
ends, needing TO be mended or united
again, but could not be made what they
were before. They had to be set. right.
by applying some uniform principle OF
justice or enlightened expediency. And
they could not be adjusted by merely
prescribipg in a treaty what should be
done.
New States Needed.
New states were to be set up which
could not hope to live through their
first period OF weakness without as
sured support by the great nations that
had corfsented to their creation and won
for them their independence. lll-gov-
erned colonies could not be put in the
hands of governments which were to
act as trustees for their people and not
as their masters If there was to be no
common authority among the nations
TO which they were to be responsible
In the execution OF their trusts Future
international conventions with regard
to the control of waterways, with re-
gard to Illicit traffic of many kinds, in
arms or in deadly drugs, or with regard
to the adjustment of many varying in
ternational administrative arrange
ments could not be assured II tho
treaty were to provide no permanent
common international agency, IL its ex-
ecution In such matters was to be left
to the slow and uncertain processes OF
cooperation by ordinary methods Of
negotiation
IF the peace conference was to be
the end of cooperative authority and
common counsel among the govern
ments to which the world was looking
to enforce justice and give pledges OF
an enduring settlement, regions like the
Saar basin could not be put under a
temporary administration regime which
did not involve a transfer of political
| sovereignty and which contemplated a
| final determination OF it's political con-
| nections by popular vote to be taken al
| distant date: no free city like Dangig
! could be created which was under elab-
| crate international guarantees, to ac-
| cept exceptional obligations with re-
| gard to the use Of its port and excep-
| tional relations with state of which
| 1t was not to form part; properly
| safeguarded plebiscites could not be
| provided for where populations were al
some future date to make choice what
sovereignty they would live under; nc
4 certain and uniform method OF arbitraS
1 tion could be secured for the settfenfefiI
OF anticipated difficulties Of final de.
cision with regard to many matters
| dealt with in the treaty itself the long
l
aration which Germany WAS to under.
| take to complete within the next gener-
alton might entirely break down the
| reconsideration and revision of admin.
| istrative arrangements and restrictions
which the treaty prescribed but which
| lasting advantage or entirely fair II
| too long enforced would be impractica-
| BILE: The promises governments were
making TO one another about the way
In which labor was to be dealt with, BY
| law not only but In fact as WELL would
remain n mere humane thesis If there
was to be no common tribunal of opin-
ion and judgment to which liberal
| statesmen could resort for the influ-
| ences which alone might secure their
| redemption. A league of free nations
had become a'practical necessity. Ex-
anime the treaty OF peace and you will
find that everywhere throughout It's
manifold provisions Its trainers have
| felt obliged to turn TO the league Of ma
tions as an indispensable instrumental
| ity for the maintenance of the new or
| der 1t has been their purpose to set up
| In the world the world OF civilized
men.
League Essential.
THAT theru should be a league of ma
tions to steady the counsels and main
tain the peaceful UNDERSTANDINGS of the
world, to make. not treaties alone but
the accepted principles OF international
laws, as well the actual rule of con-
duct among The governments Of the
world, had been one of the agreements
| accepted from the first as the basis
OF peace with the central powers The
statesmen OF all the bellgerent coun.
tries were agreed that such a league
must be created to sustain the settle
ments that We're to be effected. But at
first I think there was a feeling among
some OF them that, while II must be
attempted, the formation OF such a
league was perhaps counsel of per-
feotion which practical men, long ex-
perienced in the world of affairs, must
agree to very cautiously and with many
misgivings It was only as the diffl.
| cult work Of arranging an all but uni
versal adjustment Of the worlds AZ
fairs advanced from day to day from
one stage Of conference to another that
y became evident to them that what
they were seeking would be little more
than something written upon paper TO
be Interpreted and applied by such
methods as the chances OF politics might
make available II they did not pro-
vide means Of common counsel which
| all were obliged to accept. common
| authority whose decisions would be
recognized as decisions which all must
respect.
and so the most practical, the most
skeptical among them turned more and
more to the league as the authority
through which international action was
TO be secured, the authority without
would be difficult to give an assured
| effect either to this treaty or to any
other International understanding upon
which they were to depend for the
maintenance OF peace Tho fact that
the covenant Of the league was the first
a 1ut ~ txTn ~ 40 LA
worked out and agreed upon, while all
else was in solution. helped to make
the formulation Of the rest easier. The
conference was after all, not to be
ephemeral. The concert Of nations was
to continue, under q definite covenant
which had been agreed upon and which
all were convinced was workable. They
could go forward with confidence to
make arrangements intended to be per :
manent. The most practical Of the con :
ferees were at last the most ready to
refer to the league Of nations the super :
intendence Of all interests which did
not admit Of immediate determination
of all administrative problems which
were to require continuing oversight.
What had seemed counsel of perfec.
tion had come to seem plain counsel
Of necessity, The league OF nations was
the practical ststesman's hope Of sue
cess In many Of the most difficult
things he was attempting And it had
validated itself in the thought OF every
member Of the conference as something
much bigger, much greater in every
way than a mere instrument for carry
ing out the provisions Of particular
treaty. il was universally recognised
that all the peoples Of the world de-
manded Of the conference that II should
create such a continuing concert OF free
nations as would make wars OF agrees
sion and spoliation, such as this that
has just ended. forever impossible.
World Cried Out.
"A cry had gone out from every home
In every stricken land from which sons
and brothers and fathers had gone
fnHth a Tho nrnnt carrifina 4hnt rIach