The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-09-13
THE LEAGUE AT WORK
Raymond B. Fosdick Points Out What
 Has Already Been Done

To the Editor of The Age-Herald:
 Senator Harding pronounces the League of Nations "a failure and a wreck beyond the possibility of re- pair" and Senator Lodge cnaracterizes it as "a battered hulk"
 What are the facts?
 l. The League of Nations is now com posed of thirty member nations representing seven -eighths of the peo- pie of the globe. Practically all the nations of the world have joined it ex- cept the United States, Russia Mexico and the ex-enemy countries It seems probable that Germany and Austria will be admitted at the meeting of the as- sembly of the League to be held at Ge- neva in November. It is significant that the Germans participated fully at the International seamen's conference of the League at Genoa; and not only the Germans, but the Austrians, Hun garians and Bulgarians have been in- vited to the international financial con- ference of the League at Brussels on September 24.
 ?. The range of the leagues work may be indicated by the following Nschedule of it's meetings. Parentheti- cally, it should be noted that the Leagues policy is to hold its meetings III Sio uldHJ dillciSht COQHlIkcS do pOS- sible. The councI of the League has held sessions in London, Paris. Rome and San Sebastian; the international labor conference of the League met at Washington; the international seamen's conference of the League at Genoa; the jurists' advisory committee at The Hague; the international health con- fefence at London; the international ports and waterways conference at Paris; the armaments commission at San Sebastian. The financial confer ence will soon meet a Brussels and the transit conference at Barcelona.
 8. The armaments commission of the league (provided for by Article TX of the covenant) has been organized and is now at work on the beginnings of plan of universal disarmament for submission to the nations of the world. Obviously, the United States Is not re- presented on this commission.
 4. A permanent mandates commis- sion has been appointed, as provided for in Article 22 of the covenant, to supervise the administration of the territories and peoples freed from Ger man and Turkish rule. The applica- tion of this new principle Is vitally important to us, not only from the standpoint of freedom of trade for American commerce, but still more
  system of justice which will prevent backward countries from becoming the finder box of future wars.
 5. The plans for a permanent court of international justice have been com pleted and are ready for submission to the assembly of the league at its meet ing in November. MT. Root served as a member of this particular sub division of the leagues activity.
 6. The councily will place before the assembly in November the proposal Tor joint committee to work out the plaus and principles of economic blockade as the strongest guarantee of world peace and the greatest restraint on bandit nation that the countries of the world have ever agreed to put into effect. Unless the United States is member Of the league it cannot join in forg- ing this powerful weapon.
 T. The financial conference called by the League of Nations for the last of this month is the most important. in- ternational gathering since the Con- ference of Versailles. The league has brought together mass of informa- tion on world economic matters, such as has never been available before, covering such subjects as international finance, credits, currency, exchange, etc Al this conference, which touches the interest and we'll being of every nation of the world, the United States will not be officially represented. 8. Single-handed in Poland, with funds provided by it's members, the league is fighting the typhus epidemic, doing it's best to keep back from the rest of the world the flood of this fearful scourge. The estimated cost of this work is sl5,-