Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-12-20
LEAGUE INFLUENCE
SHOWN IN MEETING
Sessions Just Ended at
Geneva Witness Growth
to as Members.
BY A. r.. DECKER.

BY Cable to The Star aud Chicago Daily News.
Copyright. 1920.
GENEVA. December 20.--Five weeks
ago. on November Is, the assembly
of the league of nations held its first
meeting in Geneva. Forty nations
were represented then; now the
| league has grown to forty-six MEM
bers by the admission of Austria,
Bulgaria. Finland. Luxempurx. Costa
RIGA and Albania. Several former
Russian states were admitted TO the
| technical organizations for the for
| nation Of which the league has maoe
provision Thus the league has lived
and grown. According to all the
delegates. the first aim of the league
| is to further peace and prevent war.
The first step Of the assembly was
to elect Paul Hymans president and
then divide itself into six commit
tees, with each nation represented
and the work classified according as
it related to the general procedure,
amendment of the rules. technical
organizations. the international court
OF justice, the budget, admission OF
new states, disarmament, mandates
and economic blockade. The details
were so complicated that 1t was nee
eSSary TO nave steering coHimieece
composed of six chairmen Of COM
mittees and six elected by the as
sembly. 1t is understood that this
/ plan was formulated before the as
sembly began work, and that the list
of vice presidents was ready. 1t is
curious to note that the only officials
! chosen were from nations not rep
resented on the council.
Fight for Publicity.
Recause OF the newneSs of every
thing and the necessity Of the COM
mittees studying the questions sub
mitted to them the first few meetings
were extremely dull. One entire week
passed without q session Of the az
sembly. Meanwhile a fight was made
for publicity, Lord Robert Cecil being
the leader. His committee was about
the only one ever open to newspaper
men. Practically ali the committee
| meetings were secret, but some Of the
members would talk reservedly and
hence it was impossible to say that
| absolute secrecy was maintained. II
was above all difficult to follow the
6ubcomm fttees into which the six
main committees were divided.
One of the first subjects Of commit
tee study and assembly debate ~waA
| Armenia 1t was planned. to aid the
| unfortunate country providing soma
| one would furnish the money. The
| league members who urged Armenian
| aid, particularly Lord Robert Cecil,
were pleased when President Wilson
promised his good Offices and pro-
posed to request money from ConSrcsa
| but the bolsheviki inteF9eted and
! the Armenian project was practically
adjourned. 1t was planned to raise
an international army to conduct the
plebiscite in the region in dispute
between the Lithuanians and the
Poles. This plan at least was post
Polish-Lithuan Man conference should
be known. o.
Covenant Left UnchaAgea.
Some of the members wished ia
! amend the league covenant, but tho
dnal result was a decision to leave
the clauses alone until the next as
sembly. Tho Scandinavians were con-
tent with some slight changes In pro-
cedure. The Canadians made night
against article x and Argentina left
because Of the refusal to make the
league universal and give all the
members equal rights. An attempt
was made to clarity the relations be.
tween the council and the assembly,
The result seems to be that the
council has power all the time and the
assembly only while in session. Th6
nom permanent council members ~
Spain, Brazil Belgium and China
were elected for one year, because IN
agreement could not be reached re-
Sarding rotation.
The question regarding the regis
tration Of treaties was hard to de-
eide. and no motion was made TO
force the registration Of certain
treaties known to exist. The eco
nomic blockade question was so COM
plicated that no action was taken.
and the council was asked to appoint
"A committee to investigate the mat
ter. An effort was made to establish
permanent technical organizations for
health. finance and transit, but they
will be temporary because the NOM