Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1920-04-22
LEAGUE BLUFF CALLED

through its President, Hon. Jonathan
Bourne, Jr., today gave out the fol-
lowing statement from its Washing
<on Headquarters:
THE Tendon Times suggests. that
the league of nations council should
demand binding declaration of the
intention Of the allied governments
when it meets soon to consider the
proffer of mandate for Armenia,
and definitely ascertain what, il any,
practical menas are to be placed at
its disposal for carrying out the
terms of the covenant.
There is wealth of wisdom in
what the Times says. The first SEES
sion of the league council met en-
December 2, 1919, over four months
ago, with Is nations represented. In
all of the intervening time there has
been uninterrupted bloodshed in var
ious parts of Europe and Asia. The
peace of nations, which was to be
guaranteed by the league, has been
myth. ~The reason is that not one
of the countries that solemnly signed
the obligations contained in the cove
nant has made an honest effort to re-
! deem them. And there is nothing
surprising in that. Nobody supposed
they would. 1t is an easy matter to
draw up highsounding declarations
Of international morality, and attach
imposing signatures and seals to
/ them, but it is quite another thing
to apply actual force in carrying
them out.
1.-The warning nations of Europe
have had a sufficiency Of the cost and
carriage of war, and have endured
long enough the prostration of their
foreign trade. They are not volun-
tarily going to intervene in far
away dispute that affects them not at
all. Under Article 10 Of the cove
nant it is the duty of the league to
preserve as against external aggre-
ssion the territorial integrity and ex-
isting political Independence of all
members Of the league At the pres
ent moment, Poland, unaided, is he
roically defending her boundaries
4 against Bolsheviki. France.
menaced by the actions of the Ger
mans, is taking independent means
for her protection.
Japan similarly is defending her.
self from the bolshevik hordes in
Siberia. Poland, France and Japan
are all charter members of the league
Of nations, but they have to fight
their own battles with no relief under
Article 10 or any other provision Of
the covenant. There is no reason
to believe that they themselves would
hurry to the aid Of another member
nation who found itself beset from
without
The United States Senate, through
its Republican majority, was the only
responsible body in the world to dis
tinguish the impractical idealisms of
the league scheme from the very real
passions that move the human heart
and sway the policy Of nations. Fur
thermore those Senators recognized
that once this country had entered
the league it would be in duty bound
to carry out it's obligations, regard
less Of the light in which other sig
natory nations look upon them. Had
the treaty and league been ratified in
the form submitted last summer by
he President we would now have
troops on the Polish front, and be
preparing to render substantial aid
to Japan and France in restraining
their enemies. There is no reason to
believe that, with America in the
lea que, the other members would be
any more eager to carry out their
compacts than they are at present
and the United States would be left
alone in the work of policing the
world
'.The London Times perceiyes the
complete breakdown of the league as
either moral, economic, or military
force in carrying out the objects for
which it was designed and insists that
there be showdown by the member
nations as to what they are going
to do about it. 1t might as well
come on the Armenian mandate as
any other question. The sooner the
world knows of the sham and hpyo-
ciisy that is behind the league idea
the sooner it will return to SOUND
}, thinking once more and the keenei
will be the realization by Americana
Of their fortunate escape from such
an international fallacy."