Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1920-01-20
TAierLeague Of Nations Meets.


TAerLeague Of Nations Meets.
wH@OR anything comparable to the event
AolmIa which comes to pass at Paris to-
15tr-sri day one must turn to such seed-tlmes
of history as Runnymede and the signing OIL
thenGreat Declaration. So at least stands
ON. reasonable hope as the Council of the
League of Nations gathers for its first SEES
sion If the principles under which these
associated Powers are covenanted are given a
working. chance, then indeed Will old thlngs
have passed away and a fairer season nave
dawned for civilization. BOnfires are light
ed to celebrate countrys deliVerance from
the tyranny of king; but what names
could leap high enough in rejoicing at the
WoTlt's delfverance from the tyranny OF war!
.Menwho now say this is impossible are
of the same mind as those Who in all ages
have held that humanity is static thing
and mt the upward moving life which seers
andvtrile statesmen have ever believed it to be.
Impossible itundoubtedly is to those whose
ewes are in the back of their heads and who
lack heart for noble adventure. So>was the
winning of "a nation impossible to them who
turned their backs on Washington at Valley
Forge. and the. preserving Of nation impos-
siBIe5 to them who decried the Constitution
of 17SS las visionary and foolish. But the
cyniess@ and the stand-stills have been dis
proved so oft and so happily in the past
that -weSare encouraged to think they again
.1'f2abe disrr6Tcd in the case of the League
ofsNations
Certainty this momentous experiment has
tie faith 2sof the liberal and constructive
minds afsthe day. The spirit in which it is
Fn{ieTt aKcff is the spirit in which the war was
wen;9 files purposes to which 1T is dedicated
are the purposes for which the war was
wagedss.sa33 ;Prussianism believed in breaking
treaties Whenever selfish expediency so
,,rcI,@,,fS5 and itc TnSnpct atiOnal
law was no higher. Indeed, Prussianism de-
niea~tAe-a very. bases of International duty.
To its manner of thinking each nation was a
la w. unto ITSELF privileged if It could, to over
ride and rob its neighbor. 1t @ackn o Wledged
no55ablfgation beyond the bounds of it's own
enaFire.s@% 1t distorted the doctrine Of self
presentation into one of self-aggrandizement.
1t refused to join other Powers in a reduc-
tion OF rDnafnents; it fouted the thought of
broad International cooperation for the COM
mon good it jeered at the suggestion that
altruistic motives might well be given place
in national policy. Now, the war was fought,
at least in so far as Americas participation
is concerned. to vindcate these very ideas;
and with the Allies as well this unquestion-
ably was the ruling purpose, whatever adj
mixture there was of others. For these Cow
ernments all realized that If the ruthless
challenge to international justice went I'M
answered, there soon would be nothing left
of national security save what militarism, with
its crushing tax burdens, would represent.
Thus it was that England went to Belgium s
defense for what the German Chancellor con-
siaeEed "Scrap of Paper" and thus it was
the United States of America, with no ma
teFiaE pFeht to- seek, threw herself soul and
body into the battle, despite the pale coun-
sci from some quarters that she think only
of hefAown business and safety.
because the League Of Nations represents
this spirit and this purpose it has lively
oil - he
aims of the new Covenant but to make The
higher rewards of victory secure, and to pre-
vent renewed defiance of the principles for
which the earth's best treasure and blood
we're spent? The members of the League
are committed to nothing more than what
they fought for and what they needs must
fight for again, should the challenge be re
peated They undertake simply to maintain
by moral and economic suasion with mill
taIy force in the distant background as s. a
lagt0gesprt) the rights ana equities which
were put to the swords arbitrament in Tthe
fafeful summer of 1914. They propose Sim
ply to stand together. for those great com
mon interests of civilization which Prussian-
ism invaded because there was nc such organ
ized,and potent body to stand across the ag-
gressor's path. They mean simply to try
cdLoperativeIy and in a big way the plan
uhon which individual States succeeded, after
ages of struggle, in substituting order fol
vioRncesin the settlement of disputes between
their citizens-an international court OF jus.
. tiee supported by what President Wilson
called 1.-The major forces of mankind"
yWithout those major forces" let lis grant
the experiment will be extremely dubious Of
SUCCESS. This is equivalent to saying that
without America the Governments and peo-
r. --lo nave entered bravely upon the Ell
foa't Of a League of Nations will in all like
liAQaA be sadly discouraged. But the world
sttll takes it for granted that America will
come in, for any other course would be pre-
posterously out of keeping with her character
ItEwasl she who most stOutly championed the
idea of an international league for peace
even IN the thick Of the World War; and il
was her craftsmanship very largely that gave
forms and content to the more essential parts
Of the present Covenant. Rightly, then, dc
the other Powers whose hearts are fxet
upon abiding peace expect America to stand
BY them in this all important effort She
cannot, fail them and remain true to her owr
self, any more than in the crucial summer o.
1918 she could have fOrsaken the battle-lineS
without ignominy. Regrettable as it is that
she is absent from the initinl session Of the
League Council, the door is still open-thC
door of duty and privilege; and the need o.
tfde&Senate's fatifying the Treaty that will
give her her proper international place grow,