Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1920-11-05
League Assembly
to Decide on Use of
Economic Blockade


portant questions to be considered by
the Assembly of the League of Ma
tons at its first meeting, beginning
November Is, at Geneva, will be the
preparations required to enable the
League to use. if necessity arises, the
weapon of international economic and
financial blockade contemplated in
Article XVI of "the Covenant.
A memorandum by Sir Eric Drum
mond, the Secretary General. now be-
ing distributed to the members of the
League, and received here by the
League to Enforce Peace shows that
this question will come before the
Assembly on the recommendation of
the League Council in the form of Il
proposal to appoint body to be
known as the International Blockade
Commission. The Secretary-General
suggests that this commission consist
of representatives nominated by the
countries entitled to permanent men,
bership in the Council, with the addi-
ton of representatives of four other
members of the League selected by
the Assembly, for the purpose of
studying the problem and settling the
general plan of action. the organiza-
ton of the more permanent machin-
cry required and the principles on
which it should work.
This question is of peculiar interest
to the United States. because one OF
would consider promises to be the
method of rendering blockade effec-
| tive against states which are not
members of the League. In report
adopted by the Council of the League
at the San Sebastian meeting in Au-
gust, NJ. Tittoni. the Italian represen-
tative. stated: 1T should be clear
| that the states members of the
League of Nations who declare the
blockade have the right to render II
effective against all states including
those who are not members of the
League. But they have not the right
to force the states who do not form
part of the League to declare the
blockade themselves"
Article XVI provides that. should
any member of the League resort to
war in disregard to it's covenant, all
the other members shall undertake
| Immediately to subject it to the sew
erence of all trade or financiaf rela
! tions and the prevention of
all financial, commercial or personal
| intercourse between the nationals Of
the covenant breaking state and the
nationals of any other state whether
! member OF the League or not" and
that the members shall mutually sup
| port one another in the financial and
economic measures taken under this
article.
THE use of this weapon" says the
Secretary General, lis in certain cir
cumstances a specific duty imposed
| by Article XVI. This duty cannot be
| effectively carried out without great
loss of time and efficiency and unless
| there has been considerable previous
preparation before the time at which
action is required.
"Situations might we'll arise in
which the knowledge that the weapon
| is ready for use would have a very
salutary effect. Many people think
| that the League is founded more
upon good intentions than upon a
| cool consideration of the stern reali-
ties of international trouble. 1t is,
therefore, desirable on general
grounds that while the first meet
ings Of the Council and the Assem-
bly, should give the world the positive
hope of removing misunderstanding
and promoting international coopera-
ton, they should also show quite
clearly that the members of the
| League as a whole are determined, if
necessity arises to enforce their will
| by effective action on any particular
country which in the circumstances
! contemplated by the covenant defies
! the general verdict of the world"
/ The memorandum calls attention to
one important difference between the
two forms of pressure economic and
military which the League may use
a.. follows: Where a member of the
League resorts to war in disregard of
specified covenants. all other mem
bers of the League are by the cove
nant itself specifically obliged to APP
ply the economic weapon. They are
not similarly obliged to use their
military or naval forces. In the lat
ter case, the Article (XVD only pro-
vides that it shall be the duty of the
Council in such cases to recommend
to the several governments con-
cerned what effective military or
naval forces they shall severally con-
! Tribute"
! The Secretary General is of the
opinion that the Article clearly con-
templates that, so far as possible,
1.-The responsibility for enforcing
economic pressure shall be decen-
tralized, i. e., primary responsibility
rests upon each government to take
action so far as it's own nationals
and own national machinery are con-
cerned, arrangements being made by
each of them separately and not by a
single international authority"
At the same time. he concludes that
central coordinating authority will
be required if the weapon of economic
, pressure is to be efficiently used.
These SacO Ballots Are Tied
Up With an Old Corset String