Evening star., 1924-11-30
PERIL TO GENEVA PEACE
PLAN SEEN In BRITISH ACT
Substitute Call for Disarmament Parley
by U. S. Held to Offer Slight
Chance of Success.

when America Withdrew. For a GER
tain period the British continued to
believe that the United States would
ultimately join and that it was the
policy of wisdom to keep the league
in statu quo awaiting American arri-
val. This was not difficult, because
the European nations, the great pow
ers as contrasted with the small, were
little concerned with the league.
Thus for the first four years of its ex-
iStence the league was an inconsider-
able factor in the European situation.
And at the same time British policy
was steadily unsuccessful in its effort
to persuade Europe to accept the
British view. which was and is in the
main the American.
Macdonald Backed League.
With the arrival of the Labor gov
ernment to power however, the sit
uation changed utterly, for MacDon-
aid announced his purpose to make
the league the basis and the field of
his foreign policy. There was no
more any chance whatsoever that
Britain would give separate treaties
of guarantee to France or to any
other nation. What Britain would do
must be through the league. and as
an inevitable corrollary Germany
must be admitted to. the league. In
an interesting fashion, then. MacDon-
aid, who has more than one Wilso-
nian trait, undertook to restore the
league to the position Mr.. Wilson
had planned for II and made 1t oc-
cupy in the discussions at Paris when
the treaties were being made.
What followed was a striking repe-
tition of the events of 1913. A radical
government had come to power In
France, and Herriot promptly adopt
ed the British view. He Joined Mac
Donald in the program of making the
league the basis Of European policy,
but he then proceeded to give the
league the form which best suited
French and continental views. In
stead of French opposition to the
league, and thus new Anglo-F'rench
clash. there was immediate Franco
British agreement in principle as to
the league. and the problem became
one of giving form to the league.
When 1t came to the recent Geneva
meeting the British situation was
peculiar in the extreme. Not only
states had followed the British ex-
ample and rallied to the league,
which became suddenly the central
point in European affairs. But at
the same time these nations had rail-
lied to the French conception Of what
the league should be. And this. as I
said, was Paris and Mr.. Wilson all
over again.
Herriot Defined Program.
Thus when the discussion opened.
following the eloquent address of
Macdonald, 1T was Herriot who gave
the formula which was later to be
expressed in the protocol. This
watchword was "arbitration, security
and disarmament" France signified
her readiness to accept arbitration in
American device for fixing the ques-
tion of the aggressor-the all-im-
portant question-should be adopted,
thus placing with the league the
power to decide when a nation was
attacked, and therefore entitled to
defend herself. But, then, backed
by substantially all Of the continental
nations. she rounded upon the Brit
ish and demanded league protection
for the country thus assailed.
This French view, which one much
more exactly describes as the CONT.
mental view, was expressed in the
protocol. which came from the COM
mittee of NJ. Benes, the astute for.
eign minister of Czechoslovakia, ant
the underlying principle was that all
countries should agree to arbitration,
that any country feeling itself men,
aced might appeal to the league, and
that any country resorting to violence
in defiance of the will of the league
should be liable to punishment at the
hands of the nations of the league
acting on mandate from that body.
In word, the net effect of the
protocol was that If a nation at
tackled another, as Austria attacked
Serbia in 1914, then, on the call Of
the league, all the signatory powers
should be morally obligated to con-
tribute to the restraint and constraint
of the aggressor. 1t was left to the
several powers to decide what they
should contribute, although there
was the interesting suggestion that
the British feet should be placed at
the service OF the league as a sort Of
maritime police force. The sugges-
tion was not made officially and was
repudiated by the British cabinet,
but 1t was not without later effect in
Britain. -
Provided Resort to Force.
Manifestly, then, the protocol i'm
posed upon all the members of the
League. both a moral and a legal
duty to defend any nation pronounced
an aggressor by the league in the
fashion provided for by the league.
And the decision to resort to force
was vested not with the individual
nation, but with the League In which
the nations concerned were repre-
sented. to be sure, but without con-
trolling voice or veto power.
war exists 1t Is the duty of the coun-
Gil of the league to decide which of
the combatants is the aggressor and
what coercive measures are to be
taken against 1t. And the signatories
to the protocol bind themselves to
take against the aggressor immedi-
ately and without reserve not alone
financial and economic sanctions. but
military and naval am quoting
here from the language of NJ. Benes,
himself, on the invitation of the coun-
Gil of the league. The protocol then
goes very. much farther than the
original covenant of the league and
assumes the character of a military
alliance, a defensive alliance, to be
sure. The conduct of the war against
the aggressor Is left to the individual
nations. the. role of the council is to
supervise, or. rather to advise, but
never to execute.
Now to take concrete example:
Suppose that Soviet Russia, as It has
more than once threatened, attacks
Runania, tnvades Bessarabia, and Ru-
mania appeals to tho league, while
Russia refuses to Heed the council or
listen to any proposal of arbitration.
Then, on the notice Of the council of
the league all OF the signatory pow
ers are bound to take measures
against Russia and. for the the Brit
ish. these measures must involve ac-.
tion of the fleet. Moreover, employ
ment of the British fleet, assuming
the thing to take place after Russo
American relations had been resumed,
might involve blockading Russian
ports and thus insure controversy