The Ward County independent., 1921-12-22

| They spoke I'm most cOmpllment1r!
Germs of the work of the League unde,
the direction Of Sir Eric Drunlmond
the Secretary General, and while sug
pesting a few changes in the organ
| ization, they approved the main line!
which had been adopted by it,
One of the biggest factors in the
League is the confidence that everyone
fels that this work, instead of being lr
the hands of temporary people OF one
| nationality, is being carried out by
permanent staff of many nationalitiei
who have learnt in the past year tc
work together as closely knit unit.
wholeay.ako--
Amendments
The change in therattitude Of the
Assembly on the question of amend
ments between the first and second
Assemblies was very marked. Dur.
ing the first Assembly, it seemed
4 almost sure that Article 10 would be
amended and that large number OF
Articles in the Covenant would be
changed in order to bring it in line
with what it was thought or hoped
might be Americas attitude to the
League. This year the barometric
pressure seemed to be suddenly re-
leased; the attitude was entirely
changed and the Assembly worked
entirely on the basis that if amend
ments were necessary, they had better
be made in a greater fullness of ex-
perience. From this viewpoint and
in order to form procedure for later
amendments, series of fourteen for
NAL, mechanical changes were adopted
and all others Of serious nature were
either put aside or postponed to an
other session,
Reduction of Armaments
This question was one of the most
difficult problems which came before
the League. It was difficult because
the absence of the United States from
the League did not allow the enter
tainment of any great hopes of success
The invitation of the Washington Con-
ference has already been sent ont Tho
whole attitude Of the Assembly was
that OF desiring to cooperate in every
way possible with this Conference
The idea at the back of every mans
mind was that they desired disarma-
ment and the agency which brought Il
about did not matter so much if the
expense could be curtailed and the con.
slant threat to the peace of the world
destroyed. 1t contented itself. there.
fore, with laying down a number Of
very definite and practical RECON-,
mendations which could serve as a
basis for any future study and which.
in fact, constitute the only contr;.
button so far made to the whole pen.
eral question of the mutual reduction
OF armaments: In the first Assemble
the nations had agreed not to increase
Inelr ornaments budget for the next
two years and this Recommendation
was made second time. The AS
sembly also authorized statistical in.
Vestlgatlon comparing the ornaments
OF 1913 with those of 1921; this inyes-
tlgatlon to be made not only fron,
published material, but as a result of
information received from yarions
governments as to their armaments
requirements for national security and
international necessities. The AS
sembly authorized an international
conference on the evil consequences
arising out of the private manufacture
OF arms. Another appeal to all states
to. ratify the Arms Traffic Convention
was also decided on, on the ground
that the large stocks of surplus mu-
hltlons now existing constitute yery
serious danger to peace.
Finally, in view Of statements made
recently as to inventions whereby
large masses of people might be de.
stroyed by poison gas and other hor-
rlble instruments of warfare, the AS
i,sembly decided to ask the Mixed Com
mission to consider whether OF not an
appeal should be addressed to ali
scientific men to publish their dis.
coverles in the hope of rendering their
I use improbable. - e,S's. ~
Political Questions
A large number of political .aues.
ftions were also brought before the
Assembly in varying ways. The diff
ferent actions taken illustrates quite
| clearly just what the League can dc
and what it cannot do and dispose
once and for all of the charge that the
League is a super-state destructive OF
national sovereignty. The most I'M
portant of these questions was the
dispute between Poland and Lithuanis
about Wilma. I need not go into q
long discussion of the case. The
Council, largely through the work Of
NJ. Hymans of Belgium, finally evolved
a settlement which was just to Lith-
uania as giving her sovereignty over
Wilma, was just to Poland as Offering
her a close military, political and
economic cooperation with Lithuania
and was just to the inhabitants of Vii
ma itself by assuring them a practical
autonomy within the Lithunian state
along the lines of Swiss canton. The
question was discussed in an open
Council Meeting at which this solution
was put forward by M. Hymans and
warmly seconded by Mr.. Balfour and
Bourgeois. It then came to the As
sembly and in crowded public ses-
sion of that body, the details Of the
dispute We're once more explained by
NJ. Hymans in a speech lasting over
/ two hours. Poland and Lithuanian
explained their ew-points and a
number of speakers took the rostrum
and urged the two countries to come to
an agreement. A vote was taken and
a resolution passed by 46 countries,