Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-03-08
FRENCH INJUSTICE
IN SAAR ALLEGED
Former Canadian Member
Says League Commission
Is Only Tool of Paris.


charges of disagreement of the Saar
Valley by the French under the aus
pices of the League of Nations are
made in a letter written by X. ID.
Waugh, for three apd one-haif years
British representative on the govern
ment commission of the Saar.
This letter is embodied in a
memorandum prepared and circulated
by a high parsonage here, to whom
Waugh's letter was addressed
Foreign Secretary Austen Cham
berlain has told the House of Com
mons in effect that he will support
the reappointment OF M Rault'
French chairman of the governing
commission when the question comes
up at the Geneva Council next week
He has praised Rault,
Result of Deal.
The British change of front on the
Saar is the result of a deal between
Chamberlain and Premier Herriot OF
France.
Sir Eric Drummond, league council
member and secretary general OF the
league. had agreed that Rault was TO
he denoted but Chamberlain prom
ised to support his reappolhllil ~ on p
Herriot's pledge in exchange to De
more reasonable about German arma-
ment difficulties.
Chamberlain's eulogy in Parliament
Thursday of Rault's moderation ana
fairness after H. A. L. Fisher for the
Liberals had attacked Rault does
not agree with Waugh's estimate
contained iu the following docu-
Inents
The memorandum has been circu
lated privately here to ministers It's
headline is The Government OF the
Saar," and is prefaced by the follow
ing note:
In Canadian Services.
MIR r. u. Waugh, who was for
many years mayor of Winnipeg, was
one of the original members APP
pointed by the council of the League
of Nations on the governing commits
sion of the Saar. Mr.. Waugh had
previously no associations with Euro
pean politics. He endeavored 10 carry
out his duties conscientiously in the
letter and spirit of the treaty of
peace He resigned after three and
one-half years in office. and is now III
government service in Manitoba.
The text of the memorandum fol-
lows:
confidential In reply to letter
asking for his opinion on the gov
eminent of Saar, Mr. Waugh wrote
from Winnipeg on the 29th of Jan
uary, 1925. as follows:
form of government of the Saar. /
have no hesitation in repeating what
7 have always believed, namely, that
the form of government which was, 1
think. contemplated by the treaty of
Versailles. could have been a success
and a credit to the League of Nations.
Purpose of Commission.
In stating this belief l have pre-
sumed that the istention Of the peace
conference was that the French gov
eminent should be represented on
the Saar governing commission by
commissioner whose duty it would be
to emphasize the French point of
view in deliberations of the commits
sion, and that the Saar commi IS ion er
would, when necessary, emphasize
the opinions of the inhabitants of the
territory. and that these commission
ers would be so impartial, fair-mind-
ed and faithful TO the spirit of the
treaty and of the League of Nations
that they would in all things. so far
as their own Judgment and their
ability permitted, fairly and Justly
hold the balance of power and decide
on their merits all contentious ques-
tions arising in regard to the civil
government of the territory.
Had the commission been COM
posed of men selected because Of
problems OF the territory in a bust
ness-lfke manner, men who were de-
termlned faithfully and impartially
TO interpret and insist upon observ-
ance of the treaty both by France
and the Saar inhabitants, the expert
ment of government by an interna-
tional commission would in my opin-
Ion have been-a successful as any
other form Of government and would
no h
OF governmen mt for the territory, all
things considered.
believe that if it had been pos
sible neither France nor the Saar
should have been represented on the
commission; It should have been en-
tirely composed of neutraIs.
Result of Experiment
You also ask for my opinion as
to the way the majority of the COM
missioners have faced the RESPONSE
hilities placed upon them" During
the three and one-half years of nv
association with the Saar government
i became daily more convinced that
the paramount qualification for men,
hership in the Saar government COM
mission, so far as France was con-
Cerned, was the certainty that the
member would vote as he was di-
rected by the Quai dOrsay through
the French member of the commits
sion, without regard to the terms of
the treaty or the rights of the inhab-
itants of the territory.
The majority of the members of
the commission never had a proper
conception of their duty to the league
and the people of the Saar: and the
league appeared to be impotent to
check, lessen, or eliminate the
growth of French arrogance and
authority.
Members Were Pro-French.
From the beginning 1t was OBJ
vious to me that the French, Belgian
and Danish members of the commits
sion were determinedly pro-French
The Danish member was simply a
rubber stamp in the hands of the
other two men, who knew little about
business. who followed the line of
least resistance, who spent most of
his time in Paris, and who had no in
terest in his work, but who needed
the money.
These three, being the majority of
the commission, controlled the situa-
ton whenever the French instruc-
lions had to be followed The council
OF the league was surprised to learn
that the French president of the gov
orning commission had, against nv
protest, established an Office in Paris.
maintenance of which was paid for
out of the Saar treasury, and that A
regular service of secret information
operated to and from the French gov
eminent through this office
Kept Secret Service.
process verbaux of all meetings
of the governing commission were
promptly sent to this office in Paris.