Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1924-04-13
League of Nations Useful,
But Has No Great Power

| said that it tended to become l1sti-
tutionalized
Now there are two other phases of
the question: First of all. will Eu-
rope presently turn to the machin.
which is being set up on the shores
of Lake Geneva and seek to transform
it into something larger and more
potent. something like what Mr.. Will
son dreamed for it. and many mil
lions OF. Americans at one moment
believed for it? No one can answer
that question now. although II Is
true that Ramsay Macdonald has
more than once given hint of such
purpose. 1t may he that if there is Il
reparations settlement. if there is a
general agreement on the larger is
sues. that once this gareement is made
the league will enter into its own.
! am sure that is what it's present
servants and supporters believe and
hope and l do think it would be rash
to forecast now that the thing IL out
of the question. But over against this
stands the unlikelihood that the
statesmen of great nations, them
selves elected directly by the people,
will willingly abandon their control
OF the foreign policies of their ma.
tions. particularly when. is in Eu-
rope. foreign policy is the largest and
most dignified occupation Of a states
man. Just as lon.s as Britain sends
Lord Parmoor and France, HanotauX.
you may safely conclude that the
British and French cabinets viii con-.
time to direct their representatives
at Geneva and that the influence CT
London and Paris upon Geneva will be
far and away greater than that OF
Geneva upon either.
American Participa ton.
The second question that is asked
me as an American is naturally
whether actual contact with Geneva
J1Ex,
with respect OF American participa-
ton. / must say quite frankly in an
swer that such reactions as 1 have had,
have been emphatically against
Americn participation by member
ship. More and more the league is
tending to become Il pam European
congress. a meeting place for Euro
peans and the place where exclusive
ly European questions are disposed
Of That as / have tried to explain
seems it's greatest hope.
That Europe may some day develop
some form of United States, how
ever, different from ours, that Il must
find some way by which the various
races can live on the continent with
out wars which more and more surely
threaten the extinction of European
civilization, seems to me automatic.
Conceivably the league may become
any event the more succe ssfully it
becomes a European meeting place.
the less reason and the greater danger
of American participation, for, as the
problems become more and more
parochially European, the greater the
disadvantages of the intermingling of
Americans with matters which are
outside their experience and their
vital interest.
Already our state department has
l,r = srar
with the league in certain of its activ-
tiles, notably opium traffic, inevitably
as the league decreases as political
factor in America this cooperation
will increase. There are whole range
of later financial matters in which
American bankers, if not the Ameri-
can bankers are likely to desire to be
represented. Now and again, as re-
Gently over Memel, there arises
question to the settlement of which
all parties concerned invite an Ameri-
can collaboration. And Norman II.
Davis service in this regard is likely
to lead to repetitions of the invita-
ton.
Security Chief Work.
Yet, laying aside these special cases.
one has to recognize that to succeed
in a large way the league must main
ly grapple with purely European
problems of security, quite as much
as reparations, that the settlements
must in the nature Of things involve
some form of guarantees and L can
not believe that the American people
will consent or should be asked to
participate in such guarantees
If 1 may briefly sum up my first
hand impressions of the league
would say that it seems to me first
of all that it's actual achievement has
been underestimate in America and
that, at least in its present form,
there remains no basis for the old ap-
prehensions based upon the super
state idea 1t has become a useful and
effective machine. which is likely to
continue and certain to increase in In
f1uence and Importance as European
circumstance.
On the other hand it is not today
any real factor in the great problems.
Whether it may become the agency
for world peace which Mr.. Wilson
dreamed is still problema tical.
Copyright, 1874. by the Mcclure Newspaper
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