New-York tribune., 1921-10-31
The Capital Conference
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accomplish. and the intention Of doing
many OF them appears to have been.
virtually renounced by the members.
1t is far from being, as it was do.
ciared to be +" a union of Wills so strong
that no nation will venture to oppose
IT." 1t has not prevented or termi-
mated war. 1t has not suppressed ar-
gression upon one another by its own
members. 1t has cyinccd no purnose
ana possesses no material competency
to enforce peace upon any stronr ma
ton either by an economic blockade or
other punitive measures. If this inef
tectlvcness of the league is attributed
to participation of the United
States this pretcnsion only confirms
the apprehension entertained in the
United States from the beginning that.
if a member, this nation would be ex-
pccted 70 do what other nations have
shown themselves unable or indisposed
to undertake.
Saying this, there is no intention to
reproach the nations composing the
league. The truth is that an associa-
tlon of nations formed by victors in
successful war to enforce the f,,tnre
peace Of the whole world by economic
and military control, even with the ac-
cession of most of the states, does not.
in the present condition Of the world.
constitute an effective form of interna-
tional organization, and this is now an
psrently understood by the most
ardent advocates and supporters of the
League. More and more there is
tendency to change the purport of the
covenant and virtually amend it by
mere Interpretation, with the result of
transforming it into benevolent
clearing house association for such
worthy purposes as hygienic precau-
ton, supervision, international trans
portation and the like, with care taken
not to attack the issues that really dis
turb international peace or even insist
upon the alleged design Of a mandate
system as a method of internationaliz-
ing the control of conquered terri
tories, with evident solicitude for earlv
success, proving that the league isn't
in reality the uper-government" that
it was designed to be.
The effort is one of supereroration.
Il isn't, in fact, real government in
any sense.
International Court Is
One Notable Achievement
One actual achievement of which the
league is justly proud is the incuba-
tion of an international court. Thus
fsr, however, the league itself is bound
~ no law, not even by all the obliga-
tions Of its own covenant which it is
at present engaged in trying to explain
away, postpone by delay or obviate on
the ground of the consequences of its
action. Thus the obligation of Article
XVI to undertake Immediately" the
severance of all trade or financial re-
lations and prohibit intercourse with
an offending nation was rendered in
effectual by a metaphysical distinction
between an "act' of war and estate"
OF war, by pleading the advantages of
postponement and the open assertion
that some states would only bring eco
ncmic ruin upon themselves by obey ing
the covenant.
There is, moreover, no provision by
which state may legally claim and
secure before the international tribunal
protection promised by the covenant
Only states that may "of right" bring
cases to the bar Of the tribunal are
members Of the league or those "men-
toned in the annex; and even these,
with few exceptions, do not agree to
adjudicate even their own justiciable
cases before the bar. The achievement
o. establishing the court is step in
the right direction, but it is only on
the way to international justice.