, 1923-02-01

These League of Nations partisans are now max
ing every conceivable appeal for the present ad-
ministration to intervene in the European contro-
versy over Preparations. They are filling the news
paper and magazine columns with statements to
the effect that unless the United States becomes en-
gagged i'll European affairs. Europe is going to rack
and ruin.
If this be so, what has become of the League of
Nations? It has been in existence now three years.
1t maintains elaborate headquarters in Switzer-
land, with n large staff of experts. 1t~has back Of
it all of the power which was vested in it by the
Paris treaty, a treaty which was ratified by all
the ~signatory powers with the exception of the
United States.
Why is the United States called upon to inter
vcne to save Europe? Why does not the League of
Nations save Europe? 1t was created for that Pur
pose.
Why does Italy offer to mediate between France
and England in the present reparations contro-
versy? Why is it not left to the League of Nations?
Why is Europe afraid of war as the result Of the
French occupation of German territory? Does
not the League of Nations make impossible another
European war?
Article " of the Covenant of the League of Ma
tions says: amy war or threat of war, whether
Immediately affecting any of the members of the
league or not, is hereby declared a matter of con.
Germ to the whole league, and the league shall take
any action that may be deemed wise and effectual
to safeguard the peace of nations. " 1t is
also declared to be the friendly right of each mem
Der of the league TO bring to the attention of the
assembly or of the council any circumstance what.
ever affecting international relations which
threatens TO disturb international peace, or the
good understanding between nations upon which
peace depends"
Article WI of the Covenant of the League of
Nations says: "SJould any member of the league
resort to war in disregard of it's covenant, 1t shall
ipso faCtO be deemed to have committed an act OF
war against all other members of the league, which
hereby undertakes Immediately TO subject it to
the severance of all trade or financial relations,
the prohibition of all intercourse between the ma
tiunals of the communicating state, and the pre-
vention of all financial, commercial or personal
intercourse between the nationals of the covenant.
breaking state and the nationals of any other state,
whether a member of the league or not
In views of these broad powers to resort to
drastic measures against any offending member Of
the league, why should members Of the league in
Europe and partisans of the league in this country
now turn to the United States, which is not a mem.
Der of the league, and insist that it is the only
power which can save Europe from destruction?
There is no other explanation than the very
simple one that the League of Nations has utterly
and ANONYMOUSLY failed. It's failure to reconcile
the allies in the present PREPARATIONS controversy
is not the first, nor even the most conspicuous Of
its failures. The League of Nations is a chronic
failure. It has failed from the beginning.
1t was formally set in operation in January,
1920. Within a month after it set up headquar-
tiers with a pretentious staff, Poland, a member of
the league, being dissatisfied with the boundaries
fixed by the Treaty of Paris and guaranteed by the
treaty and the league, invaded Russia. 1t did this
without consulting the league or even registering
a protest to the league aginst the existing bound
aries. Here was n clear violation of article NJ of
the covenant of the League of Nations, as quoted
above. Notwithstanding this. the league utterly
ignored POland's invasion of Russia, which carried
Polish armies as far into Russian territory as
Kieff.
The sequence to this was the Russian invasion
of Poland which resulted in such disaster to Poland
that if it had not been for the assistance of the
French troops and French munitions, the Russian
armies would have wiped out Poland as a national
unity. While this was going on the League OF
Nations took no action. The war between Russia
and Poland, initiated as it was by Poland, a mem
Der of the League of Nations, was terminated not
by any act of the League of Nations, but by separ-
ate treaty between Poland and the soviet govern
mcnt.
One of the creations of the Paris conference was
the independent nation of Armenia. Like other
small, independent nations created by this con-
ference with their boundaries guaranteed by the
Treaty of Versailles and the League of Nations,
Armenia believed the covenant of the League of Ma
lions meant what it said and it believed in the
good faith Of the nations which signed the League
of Nations and which were maintaining League of
Nations headquarters. Consequently, when in the
summer of 1920 Turkish troops invaded Armenia
for the purpose of destroying the newly setup gov
eminent, Armenia appealed to the League of Ma
tons to protect her and maintain the integrity of
her government and her boundaries.
The League of Nations paid no attention to the
appeal of Armenia until later the Turks had prac-
tically exterminated the armed forces of Armenia
and massacred untold thousands Of defenseless
women and children. Then the assembly of the
League of Nations asked the Council of the League
Council of the League of Nations, instead of in
voking the power of the league itself and calling
upou its constituent members, which comprised all
of the great powers of Europe with the exception
of Germany. to go TO the defense Of Armenia, called
upon President Wilson to act as mediator between
the Turks and the Armenian nation. The Turks
refused to mediate. They continued their war
of determination upon the Armenian people until
Armenia was wiped out as an independent nation
and it's territory (the integrity Of which had been
guaranteed by the Treaty of Versailles and the
covenant of the League of Sations) divided between
the soviet government of Russia and Turkey. In
other words, it was the League of Nations that sat
idly by and permitted the dismemberment of the
Armenian nation and the determination of the
A TmpO1pn DpOUlp and mt tho TTpi4al GtafoI narl