Evening star., 1925-03-17
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL y. COLLINS.

At the Union Station last evening
patriots assembled to welcome home
Gen. John J. Pershing from his extern
sive journey through South America.
There was much military music and
eloquence exalting the outstanding
American military leader of the World
War-the unconQuered commander of
the unconquered American expedition
ary forces.
This demonstration OF alleged mill
tarism" came in the midst of the dis
cussions throughout Europe of the latest
effort of the League of Nations to out
law war; through a protocol to be ad-
hered to by not less than of the 5
great powers and 10 of the lesser
powers.
If such an international agreement
ever be achieved, making war illegal,
what shall become Of the Pershings and
Sergt. Yorks and Nathan Hales of the
future? II war become crime" shall
our future histories classify our Wash
ingtonS and Grants and Deweys and
Pershings as "criminals"? The proposed
protocol declares that all aggressive
war; shall be crime. Perhaps, then,
we shall accept DR.. Johnson's character
ization of patriotism-''the last refuge
Of a scoundrel."
Gen. Pershing said last evening that
his visit to the various South American
countries had given him a broader and
better understanding Of their peoples,
and that by closer acquaintance between
the nations of this hemisphere wars
would be avoided and peace amongst all
nations would be at least begun. DIR.
Rowe, director Of the Pan-American
Union, told the general how the diplo-
matte representatives of the countries
the general was visiting had watched
with interest the success and cordiality
OF his visits and receptions, reminding
one Of the earlier tours Of Secretary of
State Root and Of former President
Roosevelt, through which the old jeal-
ousies and misunderstanding of our
Monroe doctrine and our imagined de-
sire toward becoming a supergovern-
ment for the smaller nations of the
hemisphere had been corrected
X x X X
But 1t is not along such lines of
cordial and friendly acquaintance be-
tween nations that the League Of
Nations, by its protocol, would cause
wars to cease. 1t is through an in
ternational agreement of all the ma
tions affiliated with the league that
1t would outlaw war" and when any
outlaw nation defed the decree of
the council and Its world court, pres
sure would be threatened, first in
economic boycott and finally in mill
tary and naval compulsion.
The protocol is plan introduced
in the assembly of the League of Ma
tions by DR.. Eduard Benes, foreign
minister OF Czechoslovakia, and in
dorsed by Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria,
Czechoslovakia, Esthonfa, France,
Greece, Latvia, Poland, Portugal and
the Serb-Croat-Slovene state There
was hope that A other nations would
sign 1t until Great Britain announced
that she would oppose it. The oppo-
sition says that that ends the protocol
as such. but in an interview DR.. Benes
declares that in principle 1t is still
alive and would be embodied In some
form in the league covenant itself
France and Belgium welcomed a
plan which would obligate the whole
world to fight with, them against the
revenge of a future Germany, for
they feel that the menace of re-
newed war is ever confronting their
eastern frontier, and the small ma
tions welcomed a union which would
insure their safety, so long as no
great power outside the pact should
acquire strength enough to defy not
| merely one or two petty states but
the combined Europe. But when
England was asked to enter a pact
! with continental Europe and Asia