Evening journal., 1920-10-21

OF diplomats and take no account Of
the Will Of those who have to pay the
taxes and do the fighting.
Q. What has been the cause OF
MAR in the past?
A. The fact that the people who
had to do the lighting were seldom
consulted as 10 whether there should
be ileht
o. Who brought on the wars9
a. Professional statesmen and dip
lomats.
o. How did they do IL?
A. BY treating the peoples inter
national business like a chess game,
getting into disputes with one an
other over the moves. making all sorts
OF hostile threats and then, when the
fight was on, calling on the people to
back them up
O What is the remedy for such
an evil2
A. The remedy is TO give 10 the
people of a nation a fair chance TO
decide whether the dispute II worth
nehtine about.
Q. Does The League Of Nations do
this?
A. Certainly not. The people will
have about as much influence on the
policy Of the League as minority
stockholders in an industrial trust.
Q. What Is the League. anyway
4 on paper and in sermons II is
a peace partnership between many
nations Actually 1t Is a scheme 10
insure The territories and governments
OF European nations at the expense
OF the United States and 10 lodge
the control OF the peoples business
IN the hands Of a little grOup OF in
ternational politicians.
0. How is the scheme worked out y
A. BY having each nation under
write the policy OF insurance contain
cd in Article \ OF the League coven-
ant and by creating an Executive
Council Of nine men representing nine
nations and by attempting TO put II
IN the power Of these nine 10 decide
in all great emergencies just what
everybody shah do.
Q. Who are the nine TO BET
4. A Belgian, a Brazilian. an Eng
Tshman, a Frenchman, a Greek. an
italian. a japanese. a Spaniard and a
citizen Of the United States.
Q. Where are they 10 sit2
A. In Geneva. Switzerland.
D. How will the representative OF
xhe United States be chosen?
A. Nobody knows. II does not make
much difference, however, how he
Is chosen because IL is not possible
for one man really to represent one
hundred million. The vote that he
casts in the name OF the United States
might very well cause such a storm
OF protest from the people Of the
United States as would discredit our
so-called representative and crack The
League wide open.
Q. Assuming that the members OF
A.. HrAnrtI haNn hnrn QnnnlnNpH
somehow or other and are actually in
session, what viii happen when dis
pute arises between nations which
their governments do not settle by
arbitration or otherwise?
A. The Council Of nine will pass
upon the dispute. unless the council
itself or one OF the disputants refel
the case 10 the so-called Assembly
of Nations"
o. What may the Council do with
r4he dispute2
A. The best way TO answer Is by
suppOslng a case. II. for example
japan were TO claim the right OF free
admission 10 the United States for
Japanese subjects and we were to
object, Japan would refer the case
20 the Council. We would claim,
under Article XV. that this was a
domestic and not an international
question. The Council would have
power to decide against US on this
pOint. The question would then be
before the Council whether our re-
striclions upon immigration should
or should not hold. II seven OF the
Council voted against us and II we then
attemted to prevent by force a ship
load Of Japs from landing at san
Francisco, we should be committing
an act Of war against every member
OF the League.
o. Is this suppositious case the
only one that could arise?
A. Certainly not. The same course
OF events might follow n The dispute
related TO our protective tariff policy,
or TO our ooastw.se trade, or 10 the
status Of the Panama Canal or to any
other matter vital to our national in
terest. BY the vote Of seven foreigners
we should be put in a position where
" would have 10 surrender our in
dependence Of action or else ilght the
world
o. SO OF the League plan works,
thc United States must quietly sub
NIT 10 the dlciaiion OF the seven Cen
tlemen Of Geneva2
A. Yes.
O. And II the League plan doesn't
work, we shall have world war7
A. Precisely.
Q. Well-which would be worse FOR
<he United States: The failure Of the
League plan or its success?
A. Take your choice. But rcmem-
Der, that bad as war is. il is not
30 bad as the loss OF our hard-won
independence. We should rather lght
than submit 70 foreign dictation.
O. Suppose the dispute between Us
and Japan was not over some political
question, like the one above suggest
ed, but was over a question OF law
such as we are accustomed 10 have
courts decide. What court does the
League covenant set up 10 interpret
and apply rules OF International law?
a. No court at all, unless the dis
putanis choose to agree 70 one. The
legal dispute would 60 10 the nine
politicians at Geneva for decision. iust
as II a legal question in this country
were 10 be decided by the President
ana his cabinet instead Of by the Su-
preme Court.
@ Is this a wise way OF settling
legal controversies?
A. u Is the worst possible way. IL
conradicts an the constitutional ex-
perience OF the United States and dis
Nra6erds all That the history Of otir
government has taught US. Even II
me International Court recentlv pro.
posed Is created by the Leae1ie Conn
81 y VIII be a substitute FOR ths
council only In case both disputine
nations so agree.
Q. How about disputes betweer
distant nations with which the Uniie,
States has no concern?
a