The New York herald., 1922-10-29
TheLeague That Doesn't Function


TheLeague That Doesn't Function
Europeans cannot get over the de-
lusion that there must be some way
to get the United States into the
League of Nations. In his speech on
Wednesday Mr.. LLOYD GEORGE said
that he favored "every reasonable
concession" in order to induce the
United States to associate itself with
the League. He added that until all
the nations OF Europe and the United
States were in the League that body
would be crippled.
OF course the only European coun-
tries which have not joined the
League are Germany and Russia. All
the others, big and little, old and
new, are members. 1t has seemed
very strange to the people of the
Western Hemisphere that Europe can
not make the League work, if the
League is at all practicable, without
the aid of dtstant America, impover-
ished Germany and chaotic Russia.
And the League does not work. 1t
has been called upon in vain to per-
form the most important duties of its
covenant and 1t has failed.
Poland, member of the League,
invaded Russia without first submit
ting the boundary dispute to the
League. Russia retaliated by invad-
ing Poland. The League Of Nations
did nothing.
Armenia appealed to the League in
1920 to protect her from Turkish in
vasion. The League did nothing and
Armenia was wiped off the map of
independent nations.
Persia, member Of the League, ap-
pealed to the Council when the Rus
sian Soviet army invaded her in 1920.
Poor Persia believed that Article X.
guaranteed her against external ag-
gression. But the League was asleep
and Persia had to buy peace from
Russia.
When the Soviet invaded Georgia
that independent State asked the
League to act under Article XI. The
League did nothing.
In the fall of 1920 the League woke
up to the row between Poland and
Lithuania and extracted promise of
truce from both sides. A month
after the suspension of hostilities the
Poles took wilma and they have 1t yet,
scorning all League proposals look
ing toward compromise.
If the League Covenant meant any
thing the Council would have called a
halt on the Greeks at the very begin
ming of their Asiatic campaign-a
project which led to the Smyrna
horror and the danger Of involving
half of Europe in another war. But
the League, as usual. did nothing.
If a league which includes the
British Empire. France. Italy. Spain.
Belgium, the Netherlands-all of
Europe, in fact. except Germany and
Russia-has no force, how does Eu-
rope expect that the addition of this
country to the leagues membership
would help?
Is it American money that would
help? This country has been liberal
with Europe in money matters: so
liberal that some Continental nations
smile at the mere idea Of repaying
our loans.
Is it American armies and fleets
that the league would like from US to
enforce it's orders? We shall reserve
them for our own wars IL unfortu-
nately wars should come.
The United States is not going into
the League, because the League Is
nothing but a name. The instant
there is friction between Old World
nations the members Of the League
line up on the sides Of their particu-
lar advantages. They do not think
in the terms of the Covenant. They
think in terms of nationalism.
1t would be wrong to say that the
League Is dead. The League never
has been alive.