Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-11-18
Republicans Eye
DOings of League
Continued from Page One

Continued from Page One
with this question of the world court.
A few days ago Republicans here,
| skeptical over the coming meeting Of the
assembly. said: "Let us see whether
any of the big fellows 60 to Geneva.
Then we shall know whether they take
1t seriously or not
The answer is that the assembly has
| developed 80 much energy in its first
meeting and received so much publicity
that Lloyd George is Planning to go over
| to Switzerland and take a hand per-
sonally in the proceedings.
Assembly Shows Strength
The surprising part of what Is hap.
pening at Geneva is that those who Gre
ated the league at Paris did not take
the assembly seriously. The council was
to be the whole league. The assembly
was to be debating society for the
small nations, bearing about the same
| relation to the international organ-
! cation as the full sessions of the Peace
conference at Paris did to the meetings
of the Big Three. Things settled in ad-
vance by the council would come out
into the open in the assembly, in some
cases for approval.
In reality the council has languished.
Nobody has paid much attention to it.
It's meetings have attained little pub
licity. The work 1t was meant to do
has been performed largely by the Su-
preme Council of the Allies and now the
assembly turns out to be n vigorous
international gathering. which may be
the basis Of the conference Of nations
of which Mr.. Harding has spoken and
the world court of which the Peace Con-
| ference thought so little that they left
| II to be created. subsequently. and may
become, IL the Republicans have their
way the chief feature Of the league.
The Geneva meeting has almost set
| tied the question whether the league is
to be the basis of the international or
ganization Of the future and settled It
in the affirmative. An assembly in
which forty one nations are taking part
so erergictally cannot be easily swept
aside.
Respect United States Opinions
In general the attitude of those re-
sponsible for the assembly has been to
| do nothing which would in any way
impair the prospects of the United
States entering the league. modified so
as to meet the objections which the
United States Senate has raised to the
existing structure. This case is to be
seen in the decision. not to take up
the dispute of Chile and Bolivia. 1t
was felt here that the reference of South
| American questions to world organiza
ton. at least without consultation with
the United States. impaired to some eX-
! tent the Monroe Doctrine.
The unwillingncss of the Lloyd George
government to have Lord Robert Cecil
who represented the British Govern
ment at Paris in the creation of the
League of Nations, represent it at
Geneva at this meeting Of the assembly
is another example of the desire to keep
the situation open for the United States.
Cecil is strong league man. holding
views similar to President Wilson'S
lie is probably less ready to hold the
league waiting for such notifications as
this country will desire than Lloyd
George would be. The latter has no very
strong convictions about the league.
The Republicans here will watch what
! Lloyd George does at Geneva with re
gard to the world court with much in
terest.