New-York tribune., 1920-08-28
The hnpotent League
Ii Has Been Reduced TO a Shadop
by the Unaninnty Requirement

To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: Mr.. Lloyd George complains
that the league does not function in
the case of Poland because there Is
lack of unanimity. This excuse Is far
more significant than has yet been re-
marked in any Of the comments. If
unanimity'is is required--and, of course,
it is essential-there will be very few
cases in which it can function. The
reason it does not function in the case
of Poland is the same reason why it
will fail to perform its duties in many
other cases. Great Britain does not
dare to help Poland or permit the
league to do so, because the Reds
have a pathway blazed to her posses
sions and dependencies in Asia Minor,
as we'll as to junction with the ter
rible Turks; and not only that, but
the Reds are getting ready to leaven
India with their peculiar propaganda,
which means lot more trouble for
Britain. Mr.. Lloyd George knows
something about that propaganda, for
it has been at work among the Brit
ish laborites and, like q rattler, is coil
ing now in preparation to strike
against the government itself. If the
Reds ever recover from the present de-
feat it will not be at all surprising
if Mr.. Lloyd George eats humble pie
with Mr.. Lenine and eventually IN
fiuences the league to subscribe to
Lenine's peace terms, whatever they
may be.
British interests are 80 world wide
that the league will find itself almost
constantly shaping its course to avoid
injuring those interests. Great Brit
ain Is not the only nation that will
have sore fingers to nurse whenever
dissensons arise between other ma
tions that will call for league action.
A case against China, for instance, can
never be settled unless and until the
interests Of Britain, Japan, France and
the United States are safeguarded.
How can that be possibly effected
without a general war? A case against
a European country cannot be dis
posed of on it's merits, but must be
seesawed by the old, crooked route
of European diplomacy in the inter-
ests of France, Britain and Italy. If
Mr.. Roosevelt speaks for this govern
ment (and why doesn't he7), Uncle
Sam has dozen American countries
in his pocket that he can use as pawns
in the league game. How, then, can
unanimity of action be expected, with
Britain, France, Japan and this coun-
try acting like dogs in the manger in
most of the cases?
European diplomacy never yet set
tied anything and never prevented
war. The most that can be said for
it is that it has postponed wars; but
the longer a war is delayed the great
er will be its proportions and the
more bitter its animosity. European
takes little or no account of
the element of justice, for each diplo-
mat is primarily concerned with the
interests of his own nation. That is
exactly the spirit in which the Treaty
Of Versailles, including the league
covenant, was written. 1t is true that
the American commissioners were not
so actuated, but no one has yet accused
them of being the authors Of any part
of the treaty or the covenant, excepting
Article x, and that is just the part that
Americans most generally object to.
This thing called the league, made
by diplomats whose first concern was
the perpetual welfare of their respec-
tive nations and who inserted a clause
therein providing for perpetual guar
anty by the combined nations Of all
the past and present stealings of each