Evening star., 1926-04-04
Blow to League of Nations Prestige,
Reduces Its Usefulness to Minor Things

politics and the desire for council seats ana
the total paralysis which inevitably interVenes
when the great powers dlsagree-Wnau 1na,. est 81
the present moment? obviously. there mas
been created at Geneva admirable little
mecha nism which function with undenl-
able usefulness in a whole variety or lmpor-
Iant matters. 1t act to restore the nnan-
cial situation OF Austria or Hungary, 1t can
carry wide range of international actlV-
tiles affecting sanitation and education, 1t can
provide the machinery for all sorts of inter-
national conferences.
More than this, the league has clearly one
real contribution to international, intercourse.
Various conferences at Geneva bring men or
all countries together under conditions which
cannot fail to make for better understanding.
Even in the midst OF all the recent wrangle
there was impressive determination be
tween the press of the countries which had
been on opposite sides during the great war.
1t is true that something Of the same sort
took place at Locarno, and would take place
whenever there was n internatio1al gathering.
But the fact is that hereafter, when Germany
is actually in the league these meetings will
take place at Geneva and the process of inter
national intercourse will be advanced by the
mere facts of the existence of the league.
X *
But at present the affair is pretty def
nitey demonstrated for the immediate future;
for a number of years to come the main con-
and chief Importance of the league Is
TO be European. With Germany a member,
the discussions which will take place are
bound to deal mainly with that whole variety
of questions which remain to be settled, which,
indeed, nave Deen meaSurdDly TeOpeneu Dy tHe
mere appearance of Germany as a member.
Thus despite the presence of certain Asiatic-
American delegates, the league promises to
develop more and more as an exclusively Eu-
ropean institution on the political side, al
though quite clearly on the non-polftlcal
side its activities will remain international
The recent crisis demonstrated that directly,
the league have nothing whatever TO do
with issues between the great powers. The
fact that prime ministers or foreign ministers
of various countries actually come to Geneva
and on occa sion spoke nominaly members
of the council is wholly unimportant, because
at all times they spoke and acted as if the
league did not exist, and all important discus
members of the league such allowed
to have the smallest official representation In
the discussions.
X X 4
Moreover, in measuring what actually hap
pened. 1t is necessary to perceive that as be-
ence in the main issue. All were agreed in
wanting Germany to enter. Germany wanted
to come All that occurred to provoke the
crisis which lasted for nearly fortnight was
should enter All the hubbub and confusion
came issue which largely ficti-
tious, mainly imaginary. What might have
happened If the issue had been of importance,
had been real. in view of what did happen,
almost dehes estimate.
Again, although the press in Paris and
Berlin took very hostile tone, of the
outstanding facts of the Geneva affair is that
all nearly all present here under all cir
cumstanceS remained good natured. In my
hotel French and German Journalists drifted
hack and forth and exchanged views quite as
freely American and British. Real bitter
ness came from the ultra champions of the
league, who suddenly confronted with
the fact that the league could not function and
feared a consequent loss of prestige.
Continued on Third PageO