Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-09-19
What the League of Nations Is Doing
Analysed by Observer at Assembly
CONTINUED from First Page)

Continued from First Pase)
provoked certain irritation. but it has
been otherwise without significance.
and has only emphasized the paradox
that the nation most resolutely op-
posed to entrance into the League
should supply almost all the audience.
If the League Of Nations had served
no other purpose, achieved nothing
save what is expressed in this fact
that 1t has become a. European meet
ing place. do not think 1t could be
argued that as a European institution
II has not already justified its exist.
ence. Even in the rising tide of the
great powers to predominance. it still
supplies the small powers with some
thing Of INFINITE value not before or
otherwise obtainable. The influence Of
the small powers in shaping policies.
controlling or directing Is slight where
The large powers are concerned, but
the small powers have the right now
10 be heard, the right to appear and
to speak, not to the League. but to
the world. The world. or that world
which counts for them-namely. Eu.
rope-is present to hear through the
press of all nations.
There remains. however, the great
question to which no answer has ever
been sketched yet, namely. apart from
providing a place and reason for In
Valuable contacts between the press
and governments Of the European ma
tions. can the League acquire any real
authority. any moral influence, over
these governments and public opin-
ions?
League Is battle-ground.
For France. Britain or Italy. for
Germany tomorrow. the League Is not
a. sovereign body. 1t Is an instrument
tality to be manipulated to serve ma
t;onal interests which may be at stake.
Thus. in the last analysis. the League
ia A BATTLE-GROUND of conflicting dlplo'
matte and political purposes.
In the present instance the machln'
erv OF the League has been disor.
sanized, the character OF the Councii
made oyer, the prestige Of the League
monnentarily shaken to obtain the
ratification Of A bargain made be-
tween France, Germany and Britain,
with Italian assent. OUTSIDE tne
League altogether. Spain and Brazil
have quit and gone home because
they could not obtain for themselves
the price of a vote favorable 10 tne
admission Of Germany as member
by virtue Of being a great power.
Poland, on the other hand, by bending
her viii to that Of the great powers,
has obtained a semi.permanent seat
to which certainly she had no peculiar
claim other than that OF having &C.
cepted advice from the interested
great powers.
The Locarno pact has been intro
duced into the League party platform
bv a bargain transaction. a trading
compromise; but significant cir
cumstance which the episode has dis
closed is the extent to which the
League is itself in all essential details
controlled from without.
The American visitor who by
happy chance gets a ticket Of admis
sion to the gallery looks in wondering
approval on the spectacle Of the roll
call of the nations. hears with en-
thusiasm the stirring speeches about
League idealism. But what he does
not recognize is that in reality he Is
seeing the. voting, not of nations, but
Of groups: he u seeing the last pub
lie chapter q history which has been