Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1920-12-31
UNCLE TED'S BED
u Title STORIES Il
Pandora's Box at Geneva

Pandora's Box at Geneva
ITS has been long time, Uncle Ted
since you have told us anything about
the World Club" Jack reminded his
uncle as they called Ruth and settled
themselves in front of the fire for the
evenings story. Have the members
been doing anything to bring peace
into the world, as lots of people said
they would just as soon as they had a
meeting and laid their plans2"
mo, they have not" replied Uncle
Ted. u am glad you have spoken OF
the World Club because the first meet
ing has just come to an end at Geneva
Switzerland The members met on
November 18th and elected one of the
Belgian delegates as presiding officer
Then the discussions began, and such a
time as they have had of It'll Almost
everyone who spoke found some fault
with the covenant. which they were
all sworn to obey, and either urged
some change in it to suit the specia
interests OF his country or else refused
to be longer bound by its terms.
am just going to review briefly what
happened at the meeting, as it proves
the wisdom of our own Republican
Senators who said that the world peace
club was really world war club, and
predicted that the members never
could act together when it meant the
surrender of any selfish interest
"The meeting had been in session
only three DAYS when it was voted to
organize a World Club Army, com
posed of soldiers from England, France,
Belgium, and Spain, and send it to a
place called wilma in the midst of the
bloody uprisings in Russia to keep or
der while the people of the city voted
as to whether they should become
citizens of Lithuania or OF Poland.
How would we like to have our soldier
that is the very first thing they would
have been ordered to do had the
United States Joined the World Club.
"The next dav. November 10Th, there
was more trouble A long note was
received from Germany protesting
against the way the more powerful
members of the Club, like England
and France, have been using the for
mer German colonies for their own
benefit. Under the World Club plan
those colonies were to be protected by
the countries given charge of them,
and the natives taught to use and en-
JOY what they produced, the way peo-
pie do in civilized nations. But Great
Britain, in particular, has sought to
make herself rich at the expense of
those new territories. The other mem
bers of the World Club saw the JUS
tice of the German complaint, and
tried to review the action by which
most of the colonies had been given to
England, France, and Japan. But
those three countries refused to permit
the forty or more other members to
have anything to say about it. and one
OF the most serious disputes of the
whole meeting resulted; in fact, almost
the last things that were said were
some hot words passed between the
English delegates and the representa-
tives from some of the smaller nations.
Zone Of the features of the World
Club plan called upon all members to
stop raising armies and building bat
tleships, vet one of the Belgian dele
gates, who is a pacifst, said that he did
not believe in such policy, and urged
that the World Club appoint a general
staff of military men to study the best
ways to wage war He said he was
convinced the World Club would have
to compel obediance to its commands
by force of arms. Which, of course,
is exactly what Republican Senators
predicted would be the case.
Some of the members of the World
Club did not take part in the Great
War. but they did sign the club plan
which, in effect. provides that all mem
bers shall assist in enforcing the treaty
by which the war was ended. Those
neutral members protest against tax
ing part in that enforcement, but of
course they have signed the plan and
their complaints are too late All they
can do now is to grumble and obey the
orders of the other members"
Didn't the meeting do anything at
all except quarrel" anxiously inquired
Ruth. 81 should think that at least
one man in a peace meeting of that
kind would have tried to smile and
make people feel happy"
II should think so, too" agreed I'm
Gle Ted, but, so far as have been
able to learn, every day brought up
something new to kindle the anger of
the delegates and make even more re-
mote the chance of doing anything for
world peace. For instance, the day
after the last incident of which l
spoke. one of the club committees re-
ported that no changes would be made
in the club plan. Several members
had urged certain amendments that
their countries earnestly desired to
have adopted and when they were all
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