Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1920-10-15
WHAT IS THE LEAGUE.

from Il young woman voter:
Will you kindly publish the
meaning of the League Of Ma
tions so that the laboring pco-
pie of ordinary education will
be able to read and understand
exactly what we are voting for.
] have heard ii discussed sever
al times, but every explanation
was different. so am appealing
TO you for an understanding.
The confusion in the public mind
concerning the League is hardly
surprising, in spite of all that has
been written and spoken on the sub
Ject. No great plan for the good of
mankind was ever simpler in its
essentials and none was ever more
vicIously and mendaciously mud
died. misrcprcScntcd and maligned.
The idea of Il League of Nations to
keep the peace of the world is not
new. III was advocated by men like
Roosevelt, Taft, Root, DR.. Elliot, and
even Lodge, long years before Wood
row Wilson put it into concrete
shape in Paris. The present League
IS the outcome Of an almost uni
versal demand growing out of the
great war. Men and women every
where, especially those who had
suffered most. cried out: This hor-
ror must not occur again. The ma
tons of the world must band to-
sether to prevent in future what VIC
have suffered. They must combine
to prevent one or several nations.
fired by the lust for loot and power
from running amuck and drcnching
the world in blood. Decent nations
must associate themselves together
| TO promote peace and Justice and
curb international anarchy"
Inc League of Nations is the an
Swer TO that cry. 1t is as simple in
principle as the Golden Rule. Its
practical organization is less in
tricate. and more easily understood
than the city government of Balti
more.
What is this covenant or agree
inent already entered into BY 81 ma
lions of the world? Ii includes
among other things, that the mem
Der nations will strive to maintain
friendly relations among themselves
and outside nations as well: that
they will respect each others indie
pendence and project each others
boundaries against "cXternal ap-
gression," such as Germany's rape
or Belgium; that they will submit
any differences that NAV arise 10
arbitration and under no circum-
stances resort TO war until three
months after the arbitrator's de-
clSion Shall have been rendered;
lnaI they Will try to reconcile any
uineTences between members or
Outside nations when they first
arise, SO that the danger of war NAV.
be minimiZed.
But what if. after all these pre-
cautions, some outlaw of a nation
Sn0uid run amuck, as Germany
did in 1914? Article 16 of the cove
! nant reads:
| Should any member of The
| League resort to war in disregard
| OF Its covenants undrc Article t2,
Is or 10. il shall ipso facto be
| deemed TO have committed an act
OF war against all other members
| OF the League, which hereby un-
dcrtake Immediately TO subject il
| 10 the severance Of all trade or f.
nanclal relations, the prohibition
OF oil intercourse between their
nationals and the nationals of the
covenant-brcaking States. and the
prevention of all financial, com
| mcrcial or personal intercourse
between the nationals of The cove
nani- breaking State and the ma
tl0nalS of amy other State, wheth-
cr a member of the League or not
1T shall be the duty Of the Coun-
! en- IN SUch case to recommend
to the, several governments con
ccrncd what effective military or
naval force the members of lhc
/ League shall Scvcrally contribute
to the armed forces TO be used 10
protect the covenants of the
| League.
In other words, when Il nation
makes itself an outlaw and gun
man, ii will be Oslracizcd and boy
cottcd by the other nations of the
League. This alone would almost
ccrtai inly be enough to stop any ma
tion in future from mourning such
penalty. But suppose thai some
crazy Kaiser of the future should
defy this, then ii would be The
duty of the Council to reCOn,n,cnd'
what force should be used by The
member nations to stop the outlaw.
Had the Kaiser known in 1914 that
he would at once have arraycd
against him all the power Of all the
great nat ions Of the world the mo
meni he invaded Belgium, even he.
we believe. would have paused II
IS not likely that any other nation
vii defy such a moral and phvsi-
cal power. The threat will be Suf-
licicnt. The Monroe Doctrine has
been in effect and has been respect
cd for more than a century. moi be-