The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1919-08-01
1 PRIMER OF OPPOSITION
TO LEAGUE OF NATIONS
George Wharton Pepper Of League the Preserva-
ton of American independence, Analyses
The Much Discussed Covenant
What is the real trouble

fAl.1 n+ro1 of the peoples business in
TIC sonds of a small group of diplom- |
th' a takes no account Of the will of
ais @-'. -ho have to pay the taxes and
do the fighting.
~ a What has been the cause OF war
e in the past?
!" The fact that the people who had
a. the fighting we're seldom consult
70 whether there should be fight
a Who brought on the wars?
confessional statesmen and diplo-
n How did they do it?
Bv treating the peoples interna-
....a1 business like a chess game, get
.:ur into disputes with one another
the moves, making all sorts Of
,..+i1o threats and then, when the fight
~. on calling on the people to back
them up.
a What is the remedy for such an
evil?
The remedy is to give the people
:. > nation a fair chance to decide
uborber the dispute is worth fighting
about.
a Does the League of Nations do
this?
Certainly not. The people will
have about as much influence on the
,o,icv of the League as minority stock
boIders in an industrial trust.
o What Is the League anyway
On paper and in sermons it IS
areace partnership between many ma
1ons Actually it is a scheme to looge
the control of the peoples business
IN the hands of a little group of inter-
national politicians.
@, How is the scheme worked OUT
Rv creating an Executive Couu-
I'll of nine men representing nine ha-
-ions and by attempting to put II II
-ba pover of these nine to decide IN al
qasr emergencies just what every
wiv shall do.
0, Who are the nine to be!
Re1gian. a Brazilian, a Brit
tss, Frenchman, a Greek an ltal
In a Jap, a Spaniard and a cltlze1
Of the United States.
q. Where are they to sit!
A. In Geneva, Switzerland.
G. How will the representative @
the United States be chosen?
4 Nobody knows. 1t does not max
much difference, however, how he
chosen because it is not possible &c
one man really to represent one nun
dred million. The vote that ne cas'
in the name of the United States mgr
very we'll cause such a storm OF pro
+ns+ from the people of the Unite
States as would discredit our so-calie
renresentative and crack the Leagu
wide open.
@. Assuming that the members
the Council have been appointed som
how or other and are actually IN ses
sion, what will happen when dIsPu'
arises between nations. which. the
governments do not settle by arbrtrs
ton or otherwise?
A. The Council of nine will pass uE
on the dispute, unless the council Use
or one of the disputants refers the caS
10 the so-called Assembly OF Nations
@. What may the Council do VIII
the dispute?
A. The best way to answer Is
SuDDOSIng a
Japan were to claim the r1ght Oh LIZ
admission to the United states II
Japanese subjects and we were to OF
iact JaDan would refer the case TO u
Council. We would claim, under Art
Gle NV that this was a domestlc aI
not an international question. IL
Council would have power to oecl'
against US on this point. The questle
would then be before the Couhe
whether our restrictions upon llllili
grafton should or should not hold.
seven Of the Council voted against
and if we then attempted to preVel
by force a, shipload of Japs from LAM
ing at San Francisco, we 'shoulo
member of the League.
committing an act of war against eve
one that could arise?
@. Is this suppositious case the on
A. Certainly not. The same cour
Of events might follow if the d1spu
related to our protective tarlH pollc
Or to our coastwise trade, or to e.
status of the Panama Canal or TO a.
other matter vital to our natlonal
terest. By the vote Of seven forelgne
We should be put in a position Wne
We would have to surrender our ina
pendence of action or else fight t
world
Q. So that if the League plan wori
the United States must quietly suon
to the dictation of the seven Cent
men of Geneva?
A. Yes
And if the League plan does
work, we shall have world war!
A Precisely.
Q. WeIi-which would be worse
the United States: the failure OF t
League plan or it's success?
A Take your choice. But rememb
mat bad as war is, it is not so bad
ene loss of our hard won independen
we should rather fight than submit
lore1gn dictation.
" Suppose the dispute between
ana Japan was not over some poiiti
question, like the one above suggest
Due was over a question Of law such
we are accustomed to have courts I
What court does the Leas