Evening star., 1927-10-02
FATE EOFLEACUE NOW RESTS
WITH EUROPEAN VOTERS
Action of Great Powers at Geneva Held
Blow to Aims Of Assembly-Indorse.
ment May Be Further Setback.

clselN AZ the governments in the great
powers are liberal or revolutionary and
as they believe in or reject the League
as cooperative institution.
Despite the fact that the League
has become for Il moment the instru.
ment OF the great powers them: elves,
controlled by nationalist ideas. it re.
mains true that in France, Britain
and Germany these nationalistic par
ties and men are by common agree
ment losing ground. Thus the convic-
tion exists all over Europe that In the
elections in Britain. France and Ger.
many next year the existing combina-
tions will be defeated, that the Bald.
win and Poincare cabinets will disap-
pear, while in Germany the National
lists Will be replaced in the coalition
by the Social Democrats.
Were these changes to come. then
BRAND. no longer restrained by Poin-
care, would come back free to follow
the course he naturally favors, and
Chamberlain would be replaced by a
Liberal foreign minister who would
be Il Lacquer. The present breach
between the small powers and the
large would be closed and cooperation
and progress would naturally follow.
1t Is not that any of the great prob
lens, of which disarmament is the
largest, would be solved. but real and
earnest efforts would be made to deal
with them.
Position of Small Powers.
That the small powers could them
selves wrest the control from the
great and direct the League toward
progressive action, despite the opposi-
ton of the large nations, is a pure
illusion. Just so often as the great
powers can agree on common action
they can throttle all revolts within
the League. Progress is possible only
when the great powers themselves
are controlled by liberal majorities.
Thus, while outwardly the present
session has been the most discourag.
ing in League history, and while as q
consequence the League stands lower
In popular estimation than at any
period in its history, the ultimate re-
suit Is not so much to injure the
League as to weaken the position Of
those politicians and parties who are
responsible in the mind of their
publics.
Such strength as the League actu-
ally possesses does not lie in the insti-
tuition itself, but in the conviction
among the masses of people Of all
European countries that some form
OF international association is the only
escape from universal catastrophe
and war. With certain exceptions,
the politicians have never believed In
the idea OF the League, either in Eu-
rope or America. Certainly it has the
real. II sometimes secret. opposition
OF all the politicians representing the
old order and traditional idea.
The League will prosper and be-
come real force only when the people
In the various countries impose their
VIII upon their leaders, their parties
and their governments. Today no
one knows whether the masses will
stand Ey the League or will in disgust
turn away from ii and seek some
other method to achieve their pur.
poses. Popular anger is general be-
cause there is popular conviction that
the League has been captured by un-
repentent nationalism, and has be.
come the engine, not for progress.
but for the perpetuation Of the meth.
ods and policies which produced the
war.
While Chamberlain, BRAND and
Stresemann paid lavish tribute to the
League and did lip service to it, every
one in Europe knew from their ac.
tons there that all League efforts
mad been paralyZed. that hope of dis.
armament and consolidation of peace
mad been denied. and that these ends
had been accomplished by exploiting
that which they pretended to serve.
Hypocrisy Charged.
Viewed from the American stand
point, the recent Assembly of the
League justified all predictions of its
opponents in the United States Sen.
ate. 1t was dominated by the ideas
which made the World War inevita-
Bile. Proceedings were conducted in
public like prayer meeting and i'm
private like an auction. All that is
worse in our old boss system of run.
nlng national conventions was exem-
pinned. There is sense of hypocrisy
in the whole spectacle.
Eut men and parties responsible
Tor the Geneva affair have now egne
nome and faced their several eIec.
torates. Their responsibility for max
ing the League the instrument and
disguise for their nationalistic and
selfish purposes has been definitely
established. The real situation of the
League in Europe will not be demon
strated until these celebrates have
voted. If for any reason policies here
expressed by the great powers this
year are indorsed at the polls, then
the League will have suffered a dis.
aster which may not be irreparable.
out Will almost defy exaggeration.
tCopyright. 1927