The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1920-11-10
TO USE
MONEY WEAPON
One of the Important Questions
to Be Considered at First
Meeting in Geneva
FINANCIAL BLOCKADE
POWERFUL WEAPON
Memorandum on the Subject
Prepared by Sir Eric Drum
mond For Distribution to
Members.

New York, Nov: 6.-One of the i'm
portant questions to be considered by
the Assembly Of the League Of Ma
tions at its first meeting, beginning
November Is, at Geneva, will be the
preparations required to enable the
league TO use, If necessity arises. the
weapon Of international economic and
financial blockade contained in Article
XVI Of tikc covenant.
A memorandum by Sit Eric Drum
mond, the secretary general, now be-
.ng distributed to the members OF the
| league, and received here by the
League to Enforce Peace shows that
his question will come before the as
'empIy on the recomme n ndation Of the
eague council in tho form of O pro-
| 1osal 10 appoint "a bt dy to be known
Is the International Blockade com.
mission. The secretary-general sug-
sests that this commission consist of
representatives nominated by the
countries entitled to permanent men,
oership In tho council, with the addi-
lon OF representatives Of four other
members Of the league elected by the
assembly, for the purpose of studying
the problem and settling the general
alan or action. the organization Of the
| more permanent machinery required
| ana the principles on which II should
| work. -.
This question is OF peculiar interest
to the United States, because one Of
the first problems such a commission
would consider promises to be the
method of render .ng a blockade effec!
| tive against states which are not
members of the league. In q report
adopted Iby the council of the league
II the San Sebastian meeting in Aug
ust, M. Tittoni, the Italian representa-
| i've, stated: 1T should be clear that
he states members OF the league Of
nations who~declare the blockade Lave
ne right to render it effective against
| Ill states including those who are not
members OF the leagCe. but they have
| not the right to force the states who
10 not form part OF the league to de-
clare the blockade themselves"
Article XVI provides that, should
any member OF the league resort to
war in disregard of it's covenants, all
| or the other members shall under
axe Immediately to subject il TO the
severance Of all trade or financial re-
'ations 80 and the prevention OF all
financial. commercial or personal In,
tercourse between t! G nationals OF the
oVenant-breaking state and the ma
ionals OF any other state whether a
member OF the league or not" and that
inc members shall mutually support
one another in the financial and eco
] aomic mea Sures taken under Clis ar
! ,icle.
The use Of this weapon" says the
| jecretary-general ''iS in certain cir
'nr's'anc"s specific duty imposed by
Article NVl. This duty cannot be Of
| tectlVely carried out without great
,oss OF time and efficiency unless there
| las been considerable previous prep
| tratlon before the time at which ac-
Ion is required.
| SITUATIONS might we'll arise in
which the knowledge that the weapon
s. ready for use would have a very
salutary effect. Many people think
that the league Is founded more upon
! good intentions than upon a cool con-
Hderati0n Of the stern realities Of in
ternahonal trouble. 1t Is, therefore,
desirable on general grounds that
while the first meetings Of the coun-
Gil and the assembly should give the
world the positive hope Of removing
| misunderstanding and promoting in
ternational cooperation, they should
! also show quite clearly that the mem
bers of the league as a whole are de-
termtned, If necessity arises to en-
force their will by effective action on
any particular country which in the
~ m q a oC
| covenant detic3 the general verdict
| OF the world"
| The memorandum calls attention
| 20 one important difference between
the two forms of pressure economic
and military which the league may
use. as follows: Where member
of the league resorts to war In disre-
! gard or specified covenants, all other
members OF the league are by the COW
enant itself specifically Obliged to ap-
! ply the economic weapon. They are
not similarly obliged TO use their
military or naval forces In the latter
case. the Article (XVD only provides
that 1t shall be the duty Of the council
! IN such cases to recommend to the
several governments concerned what
effective military or naval forces they
shall scverally contribute"
The secretary general is Of the opin-
ion that the article clearly contem-
plates that so far "a; possible, the re-
sponsibility for enforcing economic
! pressure shall be deCentralized, |. a..
a primary responsibility rests upon
each government TO take action 80 for
as Its own nationals and own national
machinery are concerned, arrange
ments being made by each of them
separately and not by a single inter-
national authority"
AT the same time. he concludes
that central coordinating authority
wi! be required il the weapon OF eco
nomic pressure is 10 be efficiently