Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-09-25
Plea of Small Powers.


powers have clamored and continue to
clamor for new action. The proposal
of the Dutch foreign minister was to
resume study of the principles of
the protocol. But against this pro-
posal the British set their faces. For
them it took on the character of an
attempt Of the League members to
interfere with British policy.
British influence, as expressed in
the present British cabinet, would
keep the League of Nations an avail.
able something which could be used
when the great powers desired. but
could be just as utterly neglected
whenever Britain, France and Ger
many preferred to do their interna-
tional business directly.
Europe, however. so far as the small
powers are concerned. sees in this
British policy the ruin of the League
as a real force. 1t is only a minor
agency, without right or authority
to act. In fact. condemned to serve,
it is only as an instrument In the
hands of the great powers that the
League would be employed.
See Necessity for Unity.
Today most Continental nations feel
the necessity for unity-for unity not
IhSNSIy AZ tuc pIcfcuIIOtI VI war; UuI
in organization of a system Of Euro
pean order. But at the bottom Of the
whole problena lies the question of
security and disarmament-and no
disarmament is possible while secur-
ity Is lacking. Yet every single at
tempt to arrive at security so far has
been blocked by Britain, and every
effort to get disarmament has as a
result gone by the board.
British success in the latest Assem-
bly, was due to several circumstances.
In the first place, the Germans are
opposed to any agreement which
might fix beyond change those east
ern frontiers Of their country which
no one accepts. Until the Polish cor
ridor is suppressed, Danzig restored
to Germany, upper Silesia as we'll as
Germany must oppose any form of un-
dertaking which would seek to give
to Poland the collective guarantee of
Europe against any change.
France, on the other hand, has just
received British aid in the all-impor.
tant matter of the evacuation of the
Rhineland. With British approval
the reduction of the army Of occupa-
ton has been restricted to a scant
10000. This satisfies France and dis
pleaseS Germany, but British support
AS a consequence, BRAND, whose
every personal and national sympathy
must have been with the Dutch and
Poles, is forced to join Chamberlain
and Stresemann in preventing the
League from any real action.
Status Of League Defined.
Here, then, one sees clearly what
the present status of the League is.
1t is controlled by the great powers.
France. Britain, Germany, make their
bargains outside and use the League
to ratify them, as in the case of
Locarno. The great-power game is
played consistently under the shadow
of the League. But all this is at the
expense of the League, and as a con-
sequence not merely all the smaller
peoples but many groups within the
great countries which believe in the
League as force are becoming more
and more indignant and .resentful.
1t is clear, however, that so long
as Chamberlain remains in control of
the foreign office--and so long as the
present Tory government holds power
British policy will be. If not hostile
to the League. in effect utterly para
lying. Chamberlain is an old-style
politician. He believes in the great
tradition. Moreover, the Naval Con-
ference showed the spirit of his asso-
ciates, as did the statements of Lord
Robert Cecil in his later letter of
resignation. Until there is a cabinet |
in Britain which is sympathetic with
the real purposes of the League Brit |
ish policy at Geneva will steadily and |
even increasingly block all real effort !
at European readjustment.
While it is apparent that British |
power is on the whole declining. the |
Locarno pacts have put in British
hands an enormous advantage. Both