Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-07-28
LAWRENCE FINDS
THE LEAGUE QUIETLY
DOING GOOD WORK
BY DAVID LAWRENCE
Especial Cable to The JournaI.l
Copyright, 1921

GENEVA, July 27.-"The League
of Nations is dead, long live the
league" This slogan might we'll be
applied to the life of the Society OF
Nations, as the Europeans call it
For here at the seat of it's admins.
tration, alongside the peaceful WA
ters of Lake Geneva, hides living or
ganism which is neither the super.
state it's opponents think it to be,
nor yet the great international con-
ciliators it's friends hope some day
to make it.
Anyone who comes to Geneva, as
do scores of senators and representa-
'tives from the United States. with
conceived notions as to what the
league is or should be, can depart
with those same ideas if he likes,
because externally the league, witf
it's two modest old buildings, is not
more impressive than the average
government office elsewhere, but
it's internal mechanism, it's far
reaching Influence, and it's incessant
work for the Improvement of inter-
national relations cannot be dis
cerned b ythe casual visitor. This
requires first of all an impartial as
We'll as dll1LuQS.
Admit Many Defects
Men at work in the leagues Of
fees are first to admit many of the
leagues defects. They are as sensi-
tive to a fear of a super-state deVel-
opment and as ready to thwart such
a growth as the critics outside. They
are not boastful of it's accomplish
ments. They are simply crusaders
for a larger objective-the better
ment of mankind through a closer
understanding and free intercourse.
In talking to these men the writ
err asked several questions typical
of what many people in the United
States were asking about the league.
Why did not the league prevent
or at least settle the controversy
over the occupation of the RUM?
Have there not been number OF
little wars" in Europe since 1919,
including, of course, the Turco-Greek
war?
What has the league accomplish
I'd that could not have been accor
plished by international commissions
or diplomacy?
No Call on Troops
The replies given were frank.
First OF all the Ruhr affords a bet
ter insight into why the league is
not a super-state than anything thai
could have happened. If the league
had the power to order troops o
one nation to settle dispute be
tween other nations this military
force long ago would have been in
evidence. The league has not, how.
o11thnrifXy h17 tEkA
member governments wish 10 give it.
In the case Of the Ruhr the
French took. the position shat the
treaty of Versailles gave them thu
wight to enter the Ruhr. Even Great
Britain admitted the legal right of
the French to collect reparations by
this method, so how could the league
reprinand q nation for dttemptini:
to carry out the provision OF a sol
emn treaty? But it will be said
that the league might have inter
Vened anyhow and used its influ
ence. Here again the American con-
ception of the league differs from
the European. The very use of the
word society" of nations as over
here, contrasted with the League of
Nations, is enough to give hint Of
the difference of viewpoints.
No Compelling Authority
The league members may bring
to the attention of the league a Sc:
rious situation but there is no aC
thority that can compel a govern
ment to abandon it's enterprise in
the Ruhr, for instance, if it does
not choose to do so. In other words.
the league really, IN it's every day
operation, is simply an information
al clearing house TO informant ton, ali
international mediator when nations
wish to submit disputes for considera-
ton, but year in and year out the
league is ef'+c,,oying ITSELF with a
thousand and one questions that are
sources of future wars, and points
of legal friction or misunderstanding
between nations that have desi
to agree.
Some day the league may get the
Ruhr dispute as it has received 4
dozen other Quarrels-after the in
terested powers themselves get tired
Of trying to work them out and sub
nit them to an impartial examina.
ton of representatives. of all ma
tons. This has happened before
when the supreme council submitted
to the league the first Upper Silesian
controversy and finally the plight of
Austria. Both have been disposed
of and it is interesting to note that
in settling the Lausanne treaty near
ly a dozen questions are left to the
league to handle by special comm $
sions.
The league organization has beer
supplementary to, not substitute
for, international diplomacy. Some
things it has done might have been
accomplished by diplomacy, but not
as effectively or rapidly, fer the
league cuts red tape and by confer
ence gets results faster than old
fashioned methods OF underwriting.
The so-called little wars" Of Eu-
rope are considered local disturb,
ances," not within the province Of
the league to take up unless the IN
terested parties wish it.
So far as preventing war, the
league vii: confine itself for th=
present to removing the causes OF
war wherever possible and interven
ing in disputes only when they &C
tually threaten to break out in hos
tilities on a large scale. The latter
has not even been threatened and as
for the removal of causes, time alone
| will tell how much good has been ac-
complished in that direction.
But the league lives and while its
| work is not more spectacular than