Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1919-02-07
VlsBURe, WEST VIRGINIA. FRIDAY MORNING. FEBRUARY
CONSIDERING REPORT FROM COMMITTEE
ON LEAGUE OF NATIONS,

W lEA6Ue OF NATIONS.
President Wilson presided Tuesday
Eight over the commission Of the So
.ciety Of Nations which had before it |
the completed project for constituting
the league, discussing it article by ar
tcle. The distributed printed drafts |
among the members has disclosed the |
main features, summarized as fall
lows:
y TWO main plans have been pre-
sented, which the members of the
commission regard as embodying the
American views. though both plans |
ale composite. containing the best.i
FEATURES from various sources. Amer
.can. British. French and Italian.
Both plans are being considered to-
gether. In its original form the first
plan Is generally regarded as more
democratic and therefore more ac-
ceptable to the small powers, where
IS the revised plan is not SO accep-
table to the small powers. 90 4. ",'mi-
mated them from the executive branch
OF the proposed organization and is a
long step toward the creation of an
international supreme court, with
fundamental basis of codified inter-
national law
Three Main Features.
The first plan had three main fea-
tures-First: A legislative branch
ON which the great and small nations
were equally represented, each as
unit
Second, an executive branch con-
sisting of two members from each Of
the great powers. United States,
Great Britain, France. Italy and
Japan, and nine members chosen
from the small powers. This gave
the executive body a total member
ship of nineteen Of whom ten repre-
sented the great powers and nine rep
resented the small powers.
Third. arbitration was provided for
the determination Of International is
sues. In case of a dispute between
two nations, each nation named arbi-
traitors and these two selected a third
arbitrator. The three arbitrators
thus chosen constituted a tribunal for
determining the issues
The foregoing, on broad lines, is
the project which meets with most
favor among the small nations as
they would be represented both on
the legislative and executive branch
es.
The revised plan makes several i'm
portant changes. The legislative
branch remains the samer with the
great and small nations represented.
The executive branch is modified
however so as to consist chiefly of
the great powers, with two represen-
tatiyes from each to which others
from the small powers may be added
when interests affecting them are at
issue.
The third branch Is entirely chang
ed so rs to eliminate the plan of ar
bitratOrs and substitute an eXecu-
tive council Of the great powers as
! tribunal for judging international is
sues, analogous to the international
supreme council.
1t is the two later features which
are regarded by the small powers as
tending to concentrate the executive
and judicial'lbranches in the hands OF
the great powers, whereas the small
powers prefer the plan giving them
status on the executive branch and
arbitration as a means of judicial de-
termination instead OF tribunal of
the great powers.
The question now before the COM
mission is one largely between the
great and small powers. Several OF
the small powers are understood to
be preparing amendments to the re-
vised plan with view to giving them
rpDreSentatiyea I'm 81 IL hro n ri 90 of tho
organization and it Is said the ten
dency among the great powers is to
give every reasonable consideration
to these desires. while preserving to
the major powers such voice as their
larger interests and responsibilities
warrant.