Evening star., 1927-10-25
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL y. COLLINS.

I bunal Of Arbitration and the World
| Court, both of which sit under the
| same roof at The Hague. Yet imme-
! diately after that resolution Herr
/ Stresemann OF Germany. grumbling
! over the Polish corridor, rose to COM
| plain that the very air Of the Leagues
assembly room seemed foul. He de-
clared:
II don't think there Is an organiza-
/ ton in the world worse protected.
from the hygienic standpoint, than
the Council and Assembly. The nerv-
| BUSINESS in the debates comes a great
deal from the bad air. l would be
pleased If the hygiene committee
would some day investigate the venti-
lation of the Council and Assembly
/ rooms"
How astonishing that the Germans
should find bad air in debates over the
corridor of Poland, whereby Prussia
is cut in two partsi Even Versailles
Palace did not seem to have proper
ventilation when the peace treaty was
discussed eight years ago. 1t was
sitting.
One important step taken by the
Assembly at this session was approval
| of the jurists appointed to prepare for
| the codihcation conference, to be held
at The Hague. 1t instructed the ju-
| r1sts to take into account the "exten-
sive and remarkable effort at codifica-
| ton made by the Pan-American
| Union" So the Old World turns to
| the Western Hemisphere, which has
| mostly refused to be members Of the
League, and the jurists who are to
| formulate international law to serve
as foundation of the Leagues Perma-
mont
| their guidance.
r **
At The Hague sit both tribunals for
settling the questions which lead TO
wars between nations. The first, the
Permanent Court Of Arbitration"
initiated by the most tyrannical poten.
tate of modern times, the late Car
OF Russia, is not a court at all, but it
is piece of judicial machinery not
limited by law. and seeking not ideal
justice, but only arbitrary compro-
misses. 1t is not permanent" but
comes together when needed
In the same Temple of Peace, built
by that idealistic Scotch American.
Andrew Carnegie, sits the new World
Court of International Justice, which
was created by the League of Ma
tions and intended to function accord
ing to international law" but it was
| then discovered that there is no code
of international law competent to
cover cases likely to arise. It has
been thought advisable to appoint ju.
rists to formulate such a code. to be
discussed and adopted later by a con-
ference OF nations. The object fs to
settle international disputes according
to some future laws, rather than ac-
cording to compromises or by war.
In hn IaiI D@I&
child Of war, which had suffered de-
struction by the holy alliance, pro-
poses the resolution to abolish war"
and the League wakes in surprise to-
discover POland's bright innovation.
X X X X
It has been confessed by members
of the Assembly that the Geneva
peace protocol of 1924 was too ideal.
istic and impractical. So it is decided
to make new approach to the ending
of wars by resolution and then by a
gradual reduction Of arms, rather than
sudden disbanding of all armies and
other defenses by few nations, Civ
ing advantage to the more aggressive
ones.
But, again, it is charged that even
war cannot be abolished until the
United States (which never has been
charged with being the aggressor in
any war; shall join the nations of
Europe in their League of Nations.
The demand is made that the United
States shall tacitly accept the
Leagues decisions as to which nation
in controversy is the 'aggressor ma.
tion.' and therefore the outlaw"
Thus the United States would ''waive
neutrality rights and without engag-
ing in any actual League war consent
not to trade with or help any nation
declared by the League to be the
aggressor."
Copyright. 1897. by Paul v. Collins,