Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-04-28
THE A OF NATIONS

THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS
THE League of Nations lives. II
is the hope Of mankind, SO far
as the substitution of moral force
for military force in international
affairs 70 concerned. The crisis at
the economic conference at Genoa
is really a crisis in the affairs of
the League of Nations, though
there is no direct official connec
ton between the two. The Ger
man Russian trade treaty Is really
a settling back into the old alliance
and balance of power theories that
have drenched the world with blood
for many years. France sees its
sinister meaning, and we believe
that the French statesmen are right
in their conclusions. The economic
treaty between the two countries.
If carried out successfully, Is pretty
sure to develop into a political al
lance in the future, and then 1t will
be the power of Germany and Rus
STA against the rest of the European
world and also against the United
States possibly. There has always
been an influential party in Ger
many In favor Of a Russian military
alliance. In the days Of the power
of Emperor William of Germany
and Emperor Nicholas of Russia,
these two royal personages did
make an offensive alliance against
the French and British. The whole
plot was disclosed by the publica-
ton of the Willie and Nicky cor
respondence. Germany was to seize
Denmark and annex it as a base of
operation against England and Rus.
sian was to hold France In check
while the rape Of Denmark was car
ried out, and generally give the aid
Of Russia to German schemes Of
conquest. The plot failed, princi-
pally because the GEAR Of Russia
was a weak man and backed out
mostly because of the violent oppo-
sition Of his ministers when they
heard Of the treaty he had signed
on board Emperor Williams yacht.
There has always been a strong
German party In Russia. The
present soviet chiefs were sent to
Russia through German intrigue
and furnished with German gold to
bring on the revolution that put
them in power. It Is by no means
strange to Us that the French see
a menace In this secret treaty sign
ed by Germany and Russia without
their knowledge and sprung un-
expeetedly on the conference at
Genoa.
The hope Of Lloyd George was
that he could arrange q temporary
peace pact at Genoa and hand 1t
over to the League of Nations for
execution. That project is not so
promising now that suspicion has
been aroused by this German-Rus
sian treaty. But It grows clearer
every day that If the League of
Nations is ~powerless to prevent ag-
gression in Europe, that continent
will revert to it's old pre-war sys-
TEN Of alliances to constitute a
balance of power In order to pre-
vent war. The League of Nations
was stripped of military power of
It's own to enforce Its DEGREES In
order to make It attractive to the
United States. When hope of help
from the United States is abandon
ed, it will be up to the League of
Nations to demonstrate that it can
function as q power for the proven
ton of war without our assistance.
To do that, it should have some con-
siderable military power at its call
when such show of force Is needed
to restrain the advocates Of military
force as a means of settling inter-
national disputes in Europe. When
such need develops, the League of
Nations will be up agsinst a crisis
in its history and will either live
or die as it proves its efficiency or
fails to prove its efficiency as a
peace preserver. The Russian
German impeachment brings
the date nearer to our mind. The
Springfield Republican puts forth
ideas not far removed from our
own, when it says:
"America's aioofnesa from Euro.