Perth Amboy evening news., 1921-12-31
THE CONFERENCE ADVANCES THE LEAGUE

The announcement that following the failure of the
Washington conference to put a limit on submarine tonnage
The American delegation has begun a vigorous fight for a
world wide agreement that the use of submarines against
merchant ships in time of war shall be classed as piracy, is
a cause for some wonderment and speculation. How can
any world wide agreement be reached through a gathering
of representatives of only five, or, at the most, nine coun-
tries? 1t may be well enough to say that whatever these
few nations decided upon the rest of the world will accept,
but will it? That remains to be seen.
Elhu Root, one of the American delegates who makes
this proposal that a new chapter be written in international
law, declares, at the same time, that international law can
he adopted only at a general convention of all the nations.
Why, then, should a little group of nations, even though they
may be the leading nations, get together by themselves and
try to dictate to all the rest when there is already function
a League Of Nations in which all the civilized world is
Represented?
The logical place for making international law, of
course, is at a session of the League of Nations and that is
where all the problems which the conference at Washington
is trying to solve could be satisfactorily settled without jeal-
ousy and suspicion were it not for the attitude of the United
States in refusing to have anything to do with the league.
But we cannot get away from it. The Washington con-
ference has already struck a snag. The work has come to a
standstll. The delegates can go no further because the con-
ference lacks that which the League of Nations would pro-
vide. It lacks the united and harmonious action on the part
of all the civilized nations of the earth.
1t cannot be said that the Washington conference is n
failure. 1t has accomplished much good. But its achieve
ment has been nothing more than the drawing up of a treaty
or two between a certain group of nations which is a prac-
tice that has been going on for centuries. The Washington
conference is good as far as it goes, but its limitations have
already been reached. There would be no such limitations
at a session of the League of Nations.
AS soon as the Republican leaders at Washington can
forget that Woodrow Wilson had a part in the organization
of the LEAGUE it is likely that the United States will take her
proper place with the rest of the world in a united effort to
advance civilization and uplift humanity. AT least there is
no longer any fear of making 'entangling alliances" be-
cause the present Washington conference has already sewed
us up with a group of other nations for the safeguarding of
the Pacific. The idea Of a super government is being shot to
pieces as there never was any real foundation for such a
fear. AS for American isolation, that is a thing of the
past. 1t began to disappear with the Spanish war and be-
came a certainty when our boys were sent to France. Amer
lean business cannot get along without the world markets so
that our very prosperity depends largely on foreign condi-
lions.
Americas place is al the head of any movement that
has for its object the establishment of world peace Such
Il movement is the League of Nations and the present Wash
ingfon conference only emphasizes its importance and shows
how Indispensable it is for real world advancement.