New-York tribune., 1919-03-01
Where the League Ship Is

tions and to determine where he has
been driven. At what latitude and longi-
tude has the League of Peace ship now
arrived?
When she put from port there was
doubt as to her destination and cargo. AS
navigator the President did not clearly
announce whittier he was bound, nor as
supercargo draw up a manifest easily
decipherable.
But from rather copious generalities
it was gathered that his goal was a gen
eral league of peace, inclusive of all ma
tions. Universally was seemingly his
objective-was the sine qua non Of the
proposal. He said as much at Man
chester when he repudiated as monstrous
the suggestion of Clemenceau that it
might be best to keep, at least tempo
rarily, some nations out of full member
ship. If the league was not to be of
all nations, then the President would
not have it. All of US, of course, meant
the admission of Germany and her satel-
lites.
The cargo carried was never exposed
to view-was loaded secretly. With
caution worthy of Scotch ancestors, no
plan, or anything resembling one, was
outlined. The lack was deliberate, as if,
whatever plan was ultimately agreed on,
it might be said: "Thats it; that's what
have been working all along to get"
But by inference it is possible to col
lect some notion of what were deemed
indispensables. The league was not to
be another Hague affair, but was to pos
sess within itself determining power 1t
was not to be an embodiment of tooth
less internationalism. Presumptively it
was to have an army and navy to en-
force its decisions.
There was to be freedom of the seas"
in war time as well as in peace time, and
only cruisers of the league were to have
the privilege of search and seizure.
Other elements were to go into the
making of the league, but the prime req
uisites were: The inclusion Of all ma
tions, original instead of derived power.
al international police force responsive
to t,'e orders of the league executive, and
freedom of the seas.
Of these principles not one appears in
the so-called covenant. Germany and
her satellites are excluded, and a league
Of all nations has become a league of
some nations. The central body of the
league is not to be an executive, but to
be merely an ambassadorial council, with
delegates recallable at the whim of the
contracting nations. There is to be no
international police force-not even the
nominal right of the congress of the old
American confederation to assign quotas.
Freedom of the seas is not mentioned
According to the Presidents own def
milton of what is necessary to a league,
this covenant does not establish one or
seek to establish one. All that is offered
is another Hague convention-another
joining together in a sanctionless chorus
Of excellent intentions.
What the covenant is is sufficiently
shown by statements in this weeks
Washington conversations. The Presi-
dent holds adherence to the league i'm
plies no material impairment of national
sovereignty--no surrender of national
liberty of action. This is an admission
that the covenant creates no peace
league. The creation of a peace league
implies, necessarily implies, large sub
fractions from national sovereignty. lust
as the adoption of the present Constitu-
ton of this country impaired state
sovereignty.
hcoy,tc 1oa 1,,n
false feelings of security. 1t will be an
obstacle to the creation Of a genuine
league, for when efforts to establish
something worth while are made the
superficial will answer that the world
already has peace protection. The coun-
try is asked to take out a policy in an
insurance company when examination Of
its assets shows it cannot pay.
For real league it would be worth
while to give up much. To remove the
war menace impairment of SOW
ereignty might seem not to be too high a
price. We might think of giving up the
Monroe Doctrine if there was no other
way to buy peace. But TO impair SOW
creignty and give up the Monroe Doc
trine for nothing, or practically nothing
here Is bad bargain.
And there was an easy alternative IL
our delegation at Paris had had vision.
The public opinion Of the five nations
was ripe for the great adventure Of
building union, based on mutual CON
fidence, 10 maintain peace. The war
winners souQht TO trxanize themselves