Evening star., 1920-11-05
LEAGUE T0TAKEU UP
USE OF BLOCKADE
Economic and Financial
Weapon important Question
at Geneva Nov. IS.


the important questions to be considered
by the assembly of the league of ma
tons. at its first meeting. beginning No
vember IS, at Geneva, will be the pre-
parations 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 being
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,
body to be known as tho international
blockade commission.
This question is of peculiar interest
to the United States, because one of the
first problems such a commission would
consider promises to be the method of
states which are not members of the
league. In a report adopted by the
council of the league. at the San Sc
bastian meeting in August, NJ. Tittoni.
the Italian representative, stated: 1T
should be clear that the states men,
bers Of the league of nations who de-
clare the blockade have the right to
render it effective against all states, in
cluding 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"
Provided By Article XVI
Article XVI provides that, should any
member Of the league resort to war in
members shall undertake Immediately
to subject it to the severance of all
trade or financial relations and
the prevention Of all financial, CONNER
cial or personal intercourse between the
nationals Of the covenant-breaking state
and the nationals of any other state,
whether a member of the league or not. "
and that the members shall mutually
support one another in the financial and
economic measures taken under this
article.
"The use of this weapon" says the
cumstances a specific duty imposed
by article XVI. This duty cannot be
effectively carried out without great
loss Of time and efficiency unless
there has been considerable previous
preparation before the time at which
action is required.
Situations might well 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 con-
sideration of the stern realities Of in
ternational trouble"
Two Forms of Pressure.
The memorandum calls attention to
one important difference between the
two forms Of pressure economic and
military which the league may use.
as 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 ap-
ply thte economic weapon. They are
not similarly obliged to use their mil
itary or naval forces. In the latter
case, the article (XVD only provides
that it shall be the duty Of the coun-
Gil in such cases to recommend to the
several governments concerned what
effective military or naval forces
they shall severally contribute"
The secretary general is Of the opin-
ION that the article clearly contem-
plates that, SO far as possible, "the
responsibility for enforcing economic
pressure shall be decentralized, i. e.,
a primary responsibility rests upon
each government to take action so
far as its own nationals and own ma
tional machinery are concerned. ar
rangements being made by each Of
them separately and not by a single
international authority"
At the same time, he concludes that
a central co-ordinating authority will
be required If the weapon of economic
pressure is to be efficiently used.