El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1920-10-30
League Of Nations
And Foreign oZicu
LEAVES FROM AN
OVERSEAS NOTEBOOK

0
Observations and travel narrative IN Eu.
. I rope. and general commentary. II Is IN
I tended 20 publish a portion OF the sen-oteuH
qalls curing several months. Publication
began October 25. 1890.
During the period covered By the notes
mere reprinted the writer was in Germany
vita the American army Of occupation.
sources OF information Of the outside
world were necessarily meaEer.
me Notes make no pretcuce at being
a discussion q the league OF nations OF OF
the treaty They may have no value
whatever but IL they do possess any value
10 is perhaps as much by reason OF the
dates they bear. as anything else. They
may have some significance as indicating
how one mind was being made u during
I the progress OF the discussions and the
] conference. IN Circumstance free from
the effects Of American political discus
Z sion and the partisan atmosphere IN
I America
The Notes on the subject are re-
Z printed without change or comment. the
Z dates being given Excerpts from the
Notes" VIII be given here day By day.
Nay. 1s1s-what IS Americas
true mission IN the world? We know
our power and the world knows our
] power. De we need league TO tell
US what IS right and best TO do with
! that poWer2
Nay. 1919-Au other leagues have
Z the motives OF self defence and self
I interest, some also the motive OF posi-
Z tive advancement Of a good program.
some the resistance OF evil. but al
ways an external opposition IS I'm
Piled It is not TO enforce principles
that this league OF nations is formed,
! but merely to perpetuEte the status
quo.
5 Nay, 1919-since peace was made
totally contingent on the acceptance
Of the league, is peace then TO fail
when the league fails2 II seems to
me that peace ought TO have a differ
ent and purer sanction. I do not adj
init that the present allotment OF tho
earth's surface is necessarily and alb
stractly PERI ct justice or even wis
dom.
Nay Is1s-The treaty and cove
nant are devoid Of principles. sustain
ing clause X The great weakness Is
in trying TO guarantee the present
map OF the world, drawn by two or
three men who may think they are
omnipotent but who are certainly not
omniscient-
10 May, 1g1s-Have sust read sum
mary Of peace terms in Paris papers.
General impression: Germany IS to be
retarded and compressed by forcei no
doubt about the justice OF every eX-
action, but wisdom remains to be seen.
Considerable flexibility provided and
time may work out more permanent
solution. Just now I am persuaded
that natural laws viii not permit the
fun enforcement OF the terms II IS
a temporary arrangement, and Its
weakest feature IS that u enunclates
no permanent foundation principles
but is simply compilation and ad-
justment-
18th May. 1851 an more and I
more Of a nationalist and see grave /
danger in anything smacking OF po- I
itical internationalism, while strong (
for Intellectual and art international I
ism. Some centuries hence VIII be I
time enough for political information I
alism.
June. 1919-A French paper speaks I
OF The league Of nations, which pos Z
sesses every admirable quality but I
does not exist"
June. 1g1g-lTeet Max Rablnoff I
in Paris and his FRIEND from Esthonia I
who says that opposed to the small I
league OF big nations there wiz be I
big league Of small nations that viii Z
turn the league Of nations into two 4
hostile camps.
CSote added at present date-The I
text Of the league Of nations cove I
nant and the treaty OF Versailles was /
suppressed in France by the govern ]
ment just as &c was IN the United I
States. Up TO the middle OF August, I
when LETT France for italy, repeated Z
inquiries as at bookshors In Paris and I
elsewhere had failed 10 produce n /
copy. and Brentano's told me they I
had hundreds Of orders on file but I
could not obtain the text as il had /
not been released for publication.
What had been published we're Of
fetal summaries, briefs and extracts
It IS worth recording that the Of
fetal text was available 90 the pub
lie in Germany soon after its signing
June p. The French parliament re-
peatedly demanded that the text be
communicated 20 IL officially by the
government but the government re-
fused. AT last q Paris newspaper sent
to Germany and obtained several hun
bred copies Of the text in French and T
German, brought them to Paris. and
delivered them TO che sergeant a.
arms OF z house OF deputies. It was
then announced that members OF par
lament might obtain these copies for
the asking Thus the French parlia-
ment obtained its first glimpse at the
treaty from German pamphlets
brought in over the government cen
sorship.
when I reached Rome 7 bought a
copy Of the complete text OF the
covenant and treaty, it was in French
and Italian, and had been translated
and reprinted from German text
printed in Germany which had been
over the censorship and pro-
test OF the French government but
with the permission Of the Italian
government which in fact printed the
book in its government shops.
When I returned TO Paris early IN
October the official text had not yet
been released TO the public and it
vas not until October 10 that I OBJ
aimed a complete official copy GER
flied by the government as correct
n every detail I bought two copies
md read one through and sent both
.opies to America. Later on when I
cached Antwerp bought a pocket
,opy and carried it with me.
Probably some persons have under I
AIKEN TO talk about the treaty and
700 words or so they contain ] read
he entire French text through twice
md the entire English text through
hres times, 70 make sure that Moth
nE escaped my attention. Every
opinion that had been previously
ormed was confirmed and reinforced.
The American senate procured It's I
irst Information about the treaty [
n much the same way the French I
arliament did through German
ources. and &c was bitterly rebuked
y the administration for printing Il I
3 a secret public document during
ne heat Of the discussion. The presi-
ent had refused to communicate the
ext TO the senate after repeated re-
uests.
This IS a fair sample Of the man
Ter IN which the business Of the YER
allies and Paris conferences was
reated from first to last-the Big
'Wo and the Big Three were uuWill-
ng to trust anybody with any infor- ,
nation for fear the plans OF the Sc ]