Evening star., 1925-09-20
"SUPER-STATE'' MISSION
OF LEAGUE HAS FAILED
Declared Impotent When
Faced by Major Issues Now
Reaches Critical Stage.

reconquer Bessarabia. Moreover. Po-
land and CZechoslavakia have very
patent reasons for opposing the
British proposal directly, because in
their eyes it merely licenses Germany
to change her eastern frontiers in re-
turn for accepting as final her western
boundaries.
Argument for Proponents.
At bottom, too, there is this to be
said for the arguments Of the cham
pions of the protocol: Past history has
proved how difficult it is to localize
European disputes. The British idea
that If an arrangement is reached
between France and Germany a gen.
eral war can be avoided even in case
of local disturbances sounds unim-
pressive at a time when all Europe
is still suffering from the universal
destruction incident to a dispute aris-
ing in the midst OF the Balkans and
concerning only Austria and Serbia
a. the outset.
Whatever the guara ntees and treat
les. one may take ii as automatic that
France would not in any present time
permit Germany to accumulate the
military strength necessary TO crush
Poland, and use it to that end, since
France would believe that this
strength thus accumulated not only
could but would be, in turn, thrown
against France France, in company
with most continental states argues
powerfully that there Is no such thing
as partial peace, that neither peace
nor war ca be localized and that the
necessary mission of any such inter
national agency as the league Is TO
preserve peace everywhere with equal
effort and with equal force.
More Apparent Than Real.
And in reality the real difference
between the British and the French
thesis is more apparent than real, for
what it amounts to is that the British
are convinced that their own security
compels them to be concerned with
conditions along the Rhine, while the
French belief Is that the security of
France must be similarly guarded on
the Nistula and the Upper Elbe.
The effect of this dispute between
the continental and insular view-for
1t is ineXact to speak of the nations
opposing the British conception as
Latin, since several are Slav--has
been to paralyZe the development of
the league. 1t is still absolutely i'm
potent in the presence of actual war
dangers. We have had since the in
ception of the league two considerable
wars in both of which league mem
bers have been involved, namely the
Bolo-Polish war and the Greco-Turk-
ish. Yet in both cases the league has
done nothing and could do nothing.
The Franco Belgian occupation of
the Rhur and the Italian seizure of
Corfu were similarly events which
threatened war, yet the league was
unable in either case to act. and had
it undertaken to act in either its own
toto 1A1
by the withdrawal of member nations
which would not have consented TO in
reference. Twice. too, the league has
been asked to decide in issues which
did clearly menace peace, namely, in
the Upper Silesia and Wilma questions,
and in each case its decision, which
stood because the nation favored was
able militarily to maintain its ground.
was accepted only under duress by
the loser, and still constitutes a very
real menace to permanent peace.
Unable to Function.
AS a superstate, then, as an inter
national agency capable and commits
stoned to maintain peace. the league
has been unable to function from the
start and two efforts to clothe it with
the authority and the resources, name
ly, the covenant and the protocol, have
mate obstacle to any such evolution
has been Anglo-Saxon. that of the
United States in absence. that Of Great
Britain powerfully pressed by the
overseas dominions in actual presence
at Geneva.
Nor has the league at any point
been able to exercise the smallest con-
troll over governments. On the con-
trary, the men who have sat at
Geneva have been at all times directed
from their own capitals, or have come
expressly to declare policies which
have been agreed upon in advance. 1t
is not, for example. the league which
is conducting. the present discussion
between France. Britain and Germany
In the matter of a security pact. Not
in the least. These discussions are
going forward without regard to
Geneva and all that will happen is
that in due course of time the result,
If any, will be notified to the league.
1t is not the league which is seeking
to bring Germany into its circle: 1t Is
France and Britain.
Could Only License War.
The security pact itself, so far as it
has yet been sketched, does not clothe
the league with any other authority
than that, perhaps, Of deciding that
some nation has become an aggressor
and is therefore entitled to punish
ment. In werd, the most the league
could have to do with the pact would
be to agree that 1t had become non-
operati IS a restraining force upon
either France or Germany by reason
of the fact that the other had vio-
lated it, Then it would be for France
and Britain. for example, to make
war upon Germany. absolved from
any moral restraints. 1t could not
keep peace, it could simply license
war. .
The simple truth is that even IL
there were some acute menace of war
in Europe today the league could do
nothing. about 1t, because 1t has no
method of intervening effectively. II
Russia, for example. should attack
Poland totally without present provo
cation. no Polish appeal to the league
would have value and no league ap-
peal either to Russia or to the MEM
ber nations would have any conse-
quences. Poland would find aid. IL
at all, from her Rumanian and
French allies. Moreover. as have
said. the fact that the league gave
Kattowitz to Poland despite German
claims and Wilma despite Lithuanian
does not in the least carry any moral
obligation to either the German or
the Lithuanian to accept this deci-
sion. On the contrary, both nations
are firmly resolved to recover the lost
cities.
1t would be a total mistake, of
course, to assume that the league, be-
cause it has been unable to accom-
plish any larger mission. is COM
plete failure and has no future value.
The real difficulty in discussing league
issues lies in the tendency to exag-
gerate on both sides of the enduring
controversy. The champions of the
league claim for 1t everything, the
opponents deny it everything, and the
truth, as Is customary, lies we'll be-