Evening star., 1924-08-31


not to undertake to disturb the
existing frontiers. These nations
are ready to entrust the League of
Nations with the power necessary to
guarantee these frontiers. Let the
League of Nations have the right to
decide what constitutes an act of
aggression, willful and unprovoked
attack. and let certain nations with
strong military establishments,
France. Britain and Italy. for
example, agree. to use those forces
against any willful agsressor. There
is the key of the whole conception.
Rendy to Keep Peace.
The British, however, go beyond
any limits of the last war. Alb
solutely unwilling to make any spe-
cial bargain with any individual
power, for example. they are, it
would appear. still prepared to
agree to use their fleet and army to
restrain nations. France or Germany.
for example, which seek to disturb
the peace of Europe by invading a i
neighbor. Moreover. they would
turn over to the league the later
phases of the troublesome task Of
supervising German armaments, !
which means seeing that Germany
respect to her arms.
Now if the German state of mind !
is such that it is prepared to. accept
the situation in which the treaty |
placed it. that is, with the territories
recognized as German, therein of
course to be included the Ruhr, the
Sarre. after the plebisite. and the
Rhineland at the close of the period
of occupation prescribed by the
treaty, if it is willing to accept the
relatively disarmed conditino also
imposed upon it, if, in word, 1t is
looking for security as is France.
then this method of inSuring 1t will
satisfy the Germans.
On the contrary, If the Germans are
not ready to accept the territorial con-
dition in which they were placed by the
peace treaties, if they are not ready
to continue disarmed, then obviously
the whole scheme falls to the ground. |
either through the refusal of the Ger
mans to enter the league at all or their |
refusal within the league to enter into
such compacts as may be framed to |
realize this conception.
Lacks Necessary Force.
The League of Nations will have lit |
tie real influence in preventing war as |
long as it is merely the association OF
the conquerors or as long the the most |
important of the defeated states is
neither a member nor ready to accept i
voluntarily the condition which the set
tIement created. The league has not, |
and nayer can have. the force to |
maintain any state of Europe which is |
not voluntarily accepted by the great !
by all the European |,
peoples. 1t cannot have this power be- !
cause among other reasons the British |
will never join in any such combina-
ton and lend their fleets or army to |
maintain it. |
As a consequence, if the Germans de- |
cline to enter the league, or IL enter |
ing the league they refuse to subscribe |
to any general and mutual guarantee. IL !
in substance they do not of their own !
free will offer and receive the guaran-
tees which are to be had on the basis |
of things as they are, then the whole |
operation falls to the ground. and not |
only is it out of the question to discuss !
disarmament, but in place of the |
league we shall have in Europe sys-
tenn of alliances precisely like that
which preceded the World War.
This system of alliances will obvi |
ously be based upon the association of
the powers who desire to preserve the !
present map of Europe, who desire to !
defend their existing frontiers and |
those who desire to change the map !
and recover the frontiers which existed |
before the World War. France, Bel |
gium, Poland and Czechoslovakia will |
be united to resist any German effort |
to upset the treaty of Versailles, the |
little entente, Czechoslovakia,Y Yugo- |
sIavia, and Rumania will stand together /
against Hungarian resurgence, Greece. |
Rumania and YugoSlavia will combine /
against Bulgaria and Poland and Ru- |
mania will unite against Russian |
challenge.
Russian Membership Needed.
Patiently. then, even if Germany is |
now admitted to the league and
even consents to freewill accept ,
ance of existing frontiers, all will be !
provisional until Russia is admitted |
and in turn accepts with equal will !
ingness and in equal good faith the |
present state of her own boundaries. |,
The admission of Germany, il Ger |
many desires it; the acceptance by |
Germany of the present conditions, |
both of frontiers and of arms, allotted |
to her; the guarantee of Britain that |
if the existing frontiers are attacked |
by either Germany or France Britain
will join with the victim against the |
aggressor. this will be manifestly the |
point of departure of any League OF.
Nations control of the question of |
security.
You have here the opportunity for
the application of some such method |
of arbitration as was presented by
the French at the recent London con-
ference and solved the riddle of sane
tions. The French proposed that in |
case Germany seemed to be in willful
default asd the issue were raised in
the reparations commission, unless
the commission were unanimous ap-
peal might be had to an arbitral |
board, which would decide whether
the default was willful or not. Now
comes the issue of possible aggres-
sion. If, for example, Germany at
tacks France again. then let the
league decide. first, that there Is an
second, that 1t Is unprovoked:
then, on this statement let Britain be
bound to come to the aid Of France.
That is the present solution of the
problem of security as considered by |
both Macdonald and Herriot. - r |
Would Become Vital Force.
If the League of Nations in the !
present session at Geneva can in some
fashion elaborate a plan which, will |
be accepted in good faith by all ma
tions plan which will guarantee the
security of all nations on the existing
basis of fact, then 1t is plain that the
league will at once assume vastly |
different role in world affairs and
can with authority turn to the ex-
of the closely related problem
of ornaments.
But armament Is like fire insurance,
based upon the degree of danger the
insured apprehends. 1t is true that
beyond a certain point both arma-
ments and insurance may constitute
the one to aggression and
the other to arson, yet a property
owner will not reduce his insurance
save as the fire menace is diminish