The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-02-07

}sked the council of the league to
grant its rights that had been so flag
santly denied by England. The coun-
Ill referred the case TO the world
court for an "advisb14 opinion" re-
garding the extent 81 afs power and
the manner in whixksthe decision
should be reached This move was
not exactly plain to Turkey at first.
Fhe gullible Turks had been under
The illusion, held to this day by many
American pacifists and others of the
sob-sister crew, that the provisions
Tor settling such disputes were clear
and that the representative of Turkey
would have vote on the question. In
order to deprive Turkey of the vote on
the question of Britain pillaging its
own territory, the court decided that
the league had the right to decide the
case but that neither of the contest
ing parties should have a vote on the
council. Such was the world court de-
cision on Mosul.
The Deal With France.
TURKEY might have had the sup
1 port of France on@tne league coun-
ell but for the insurrection in Syria
In that inundated area that had been
granted to France a fierce colonial
war was raging, with{France getting
the worst of it. The Utmost frightful-
ness had been used against the Syr-
ians and Druses by France, but the
natives were able to shatter the ranks
Of the imperialist hordes with sledge
hammer blows. The storming of
Damascus and the burning of
thousands upon thousands of human
beings beneath the ruins of that
ancient city threatened to arouse the
world of Islam in fury of anti-im-
perialistic hatred, which for a
time seemed to threaten the whole
mandates system in the Near and
Middle East.
Britain taking advantage of the sit
uation called together the council Of
the league of nations with the inten-
ton of raising the question of the
French mandate in Syria in order to
get an excuse to dAflare the French
government incompktent to admins
ter the mandate. Hfhe objective of
Britain was and Is to wrest from
France the Syrian mandate so that it
can join it with its Palestine mandate.
Everything was set for the assault on
this mandate when the Turkish claim
10 Mosul came up. Britain faced a
dilemma. II she antagonized France on
Syria, then she would lose Mosul. II
she retained Mosul-she would have to
abandon, for the time at least, her
designs on Syria. This situation fore
ed her to forego the aims in Syria
in order to get French support in
Mosul The result. was, of course, the
decision Of the league in favor Of
the claims of Great Britain in Mosul.
An instrument Of War.
THUS we see thSt the league of ma
4 tions and its world court is not, as
its supporters would have us believe,
an instrument for enforcing peace, but
a diplomatic arena in which the con-
flicts between the imperialist powers
are fought out; it is a fraudulent
court which grants legal and moral"
sanction to the victors in the last
world war TO impose their will by
force upon the inundated areas.
Ere long the conflicting interests OF
the imperialist powers will reach a
point where they can no longer be
settled within the league thru diplo-
matte intrigue and then all the cumu-
lative malice and greed will burst
forth into another war. The man
dates of the league are all potential
powder magazines
Turkey refuses. to recognize the
league decision On Mosul and will
take advantage of the first opportun-
ity to deliver a blow at Britain. And