Evening star., 1924-01-07
Text of Winning Peace Plan

partfctpation In the work OF the
commissions and technical COM
The record shows that such CO.
operation Is already begun.
The single common purpose Of
all these committees is the col
lection and study of information,
on which may be based subsequent
reconme ndations for national leg
isiation
All conventions and resolutions
recommended by the first three
congresses of the International
Labor Organization have already
been laid before the Senate of the
United States and, without OBJ
lection, referred TO the appropri-
ate committee. No different pro,
cedure would have been followed
IL the United States were a mem
Der of the labor organization OF
the league.
A third Immediately practicable
step Is the Senate's approval OF
the proposal that the United
States adhere to the Permanent
Court of International Justice for
the reasons and under the condi-
tions stated by Secretary Hughes
and President Harding in Febru-
airy, 1928.
These three suggestions for in
creas!nE cooperation with the
family. of nations are in harmony
with, policies already adopted by
our government, and In the last
case with policy so old and
we'll recognized that II may now
be called traditional.
They do not involve a question
OF membership in the league OF
nations as now constituted, but II
cannot be denied that they lead to
the threshold of that question.
Any further step toward co-opera-
tion must confront the problem OF
direct relations between the
United States and the assembly
and council OF fifty-four nations
in the league.
Precedents Established.
The practical experience of the
league during its first three and
a half years OF life has not only
wrought out. In a group of prece-
dents. the beginnings of what might
be called the constitutional law OF
the league, but II has also shifted
the emphasis in activities OF the
league and foreshadowed impor-
taGt notifications in its constitu-
tion, the covenant.
Al it's birth the covenant OF the
league bore, vaguely In article 3
and more closely in article XVI.
the impression of a general agree
ment to enforce and coerce. Both
of those articles suggest the ac-
ton of a world state which never
existed and does not now exist.
How far the present league Is
a'tually removed from functioning
hibfted In its dealings with
r Lithuan!a and Poland over wilma
and their common boundary. and
with Greece and Italy over Corfu
Experience in, the last three
years has demonstrated probably
insuperable difficulties In the way
of fulfilling in all parts or the
world the large promise of article
x in respect to either its letter or
It's spirit No one now expects
the league council to try to sum
mon armies and fleets, since 1t ut
terly failed to obtain even an In
ternational police force for the
Each assembly Of the league has
witnessed vigorous efforts to In
terpr,t and modify article y. In
the fourth assembly an attempt to
adopt an Interpretation of that ar
icle in essential agreement with
the senatorial reservation on the
same subject In 1920 was blocked
only by a small group OF weak
states like Persia and Panama,
which evidently attributed to ar
ticle X a protective power that II
possesses only on paper.
Choice for Small States.
Such states. In. possible fear of
unfriendly neighbors. must de-
eide whether the preservation of
a form Of words in the cover ant
is more vital to their pear IL
security, and to the peace n -
curity Of the world, than the 81
ence of the, United States al the
council table of the family of ma
tions.
AS to article XVI the council
of the league created a blockade
commission which worked for two
years to determine how the eco
.nomic weapon" Of the league could
be efficiently used and uniformly
applied. The commission failed to
that weaker powers would dare
to accept. 1t was finally agreed
that each state must decide for
itself whether a breach of the COW
enant has been committed.
radically amended form of article
XVI from which was removed all
reference to the possibility Of en-
ploying military force, and In
which the abandonment OF uni
form obligation was directly pro-
vided for. The British govern
en- the form of requirement still
Articles x and XVI, in their orr
ginal forms, have therefore been
practically condemned by the prin-
cipal organs Of the league and are
innocuous desuetude. The only
kind of compulsion which nations
can freely engage to apply to each
other in the name OF peace Is that
which arises from conference,
from moral Judgment. from full
publicity, and from the power Of
public opinion.
Loath to Interveae.
. Another significant development
in the constitutional practice of
the league is the unwillinKness of
the league council to intervene in
any American controversy, even
though all states in the new world
except three are members Of tho
league
This refusal became evident in
the Panama-Costa Rica dispute in
1921 and in the quarrel between
Chile, Peru and Bolivia, a quarrel
which impelled the last two states
to absent themselves from the
was chosen to preside.
Obviously the league intends to
recognise the leadership of the
United States in the new world
precisely as the United States
claims 1t. This Is nothing less
than the observance of an un-
written law limiting the powers
and duties of the league council,
deemed in article XI Of the
covenant, to questions that seem
to threaten the peace Of the old
world. when the United States is
willing to bring the two halves
OF the world together for friend
gers, duties and needs, Y will be
possible to secure. II II is de-
sired, closer cooperation between
the 1ieague organizations and the
Pan.Amorican Union, already q
potentiai regional league. u IL
conceivable, that the family Of m.
tions may eventually clearly de.
nne certain powers and duties Of
relatively local significance which
nav ho dAyelouAd upOn local as