Evening star., 1923-09-23
WANT ALL NATIONS
BACK OF COVENANT
LEAGUE Members Seek Inter-
pretations as Result OF
Fiume Affair.
n The 4 Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
GENEVA. September 22.--hespec'
+be league covenant and settle 'he
reraration problem quickly
90 the two messages OF moment
rbicb 20 ont to all governments ana
reorles from the league OF nations
Tbev are contained in no formal reso-
l,,tinns and backed by no formal vote
ticking. but they emerge ctearly 90
the will of the majority OF worm
delegates assembled in Geneva II
n,audits have any meaning ana en-
+h,siastic oyations any significance.
This EXPRESSION of what the puolle
oripion demands found its voice par
ticularly today when seVeral uele-
gates, representing india ooul"
Africa and Sweden. insisted upon the
gravity of world conditions ana de-
manded that the governments ooeS
the new order of things as represent
ed by the league.
Referring to Italy's reputation OF OF
the league authority in the Gaeeh &c X
affair, the Maharajah OF havana = 20
declared his conviction that
league is perfectly competenI 70
srising between members. and he IS
s1cd the warning that If any one
member fails to live up TO the prli
cipIes of the covenant the lea ue
fails to be it's true self and rlsks
Day of RcprisaIs "Gone."
Under the old order, and before
this family of nations came into pc
ing" said the Indian prince, the
right of reprisal no doubt held good,
but under the new order, whlch an
have accepted, we hope this Is all
changed The league of nations is
the citadel of the new age, ana espe-
cially the citadel and refuge OF the
small nations. tan,
india accepts the covenant Win
nut reservation. Unless the strong ma
tions set an example of foroearahce
unless they show Willingness 70
sacrifice their pride of power-then
the league of nations will be sham,
the light on the horizon will die, and
the familiar accusing darkness Wlii
return"
The speaker praised the forbear-
ance of the council in the ltalian
case and voiced conviction that all
the powers would bow to the inter
pretation of the covenant to be hand
cd down by a selected group or emil
nent jurists or by the Permanent
Court of International Justice. The
maharaja was loudly applauded as
Eratulations from many of the other
delegates.
Seek Covenant Interpretation.
Prompt progress in its self-alloted
task OF securing juridical interpre-
tations of the covenant was made BY
the league council tonight. when II
appointed a committee of legal ex-
perts to formulate precise questions
which will later be submitted either
TO the permanent court of tnterna-
tional justice at The Hague or some
other body of eminent jurists.
The action is the first step grow
ing out of Italy's refusal to recog-
nize and accept the competency OF
the league of nations in the Greco
Italian dispute. The experts desig-
= mated include NJ, Rolin. .Jacquemyns
of Belgium, Senior Botella of Spain
DR. A. D. de la Pradelle of France
Vittoria Scialoia of Italy, NJ. Adach
of Japan, Sir Cecil Hurst, Great Brit
ain, and DIR. ]. A. Van Hamel, Hol-
land, director. of the leagues juridi
cal bureau.
Nature of Disputes.
Among the questions to be con.
sidered are the kind of disputes
which come within the purview OF
the covenant, the rights of states to
seize territory as guarantees and the
responsibilities OF states for politi-
cal crimes committed within theiI
frontiers.
The council also took another ster
in the movement tending to achieve
the financial rehabilitation of Eu-
rope. 1t accepted the report of a
financial committee whereby a new
currency on a gold basis will be
created in the free city of Danzig
under the control of the league. The
rev unit is to be the gulden. worth
one-twenty-fifth of one pound ster.
ling. thus making Danzig a gold oasis
surrounded by the paper currency
territories of Germany and Poland