Evening star., 1928-05-17
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS.

The House OF Lords unanimously
voted last Tuesday its unqualified in
dorsement OF the Kellogg treaty TO out
law war--the multiiateral, not the
French bilaterai, plan. The House OF
Commons had previously taken the
same action unanimously. All parties
Of Great Britain. dropping all partisan
differences. unite In upholding the plan
discarding French reservations. Public
sentiment OF Great Britain Is enthusi-
asticalIy and anxiously united IN sup
porting the Kellogg plan, and while the
willy politicians OF the cabinet were in
clined 10 play politics. even with So
sacred thing rs peace, tEe public has
voiced its own sentiment through q
unanimous Parliament In an unprece-
dented manner for Great Britain. Can
ada and Australia, as Indicated by their
press, are equally strong In support OF
the kellogg plan.
Even without reference to the out
spoken support OF the great English
speaking empire, news comes from Paris
that 1t Is there authoritatively an
nounced that Secretary Kellogg is TO
receive the Nobel peace prize for this
the greatest service performed this year
by any statesman OF the world toward
forwarding world peace.
While the treaty Is not yet worked out
in Its details, nor signed By any nation,
this support OF Great Britain, added to
that Of Germany and Italy and prob
ably Of Japan, makes II practically Ger
tain that the Kellogg multilateral plan
will be accepted.
No one claims that this will imme-
diately assure the end OF all wars. but
IL will guarantee. as to the six great
powers---the United States, Great Brit
ain. Germany. Italy. Japan and un-
doubtedly eventually France~~-the ahan-
donment OF war AS part OF national
policy In maintaining international
rights
Yet armies and navies will not be
abandoned while there remains the pos
sibility that OUTLAW" nations or tribes
or bands OF pirates may defy the ad-
vanced standards Of civilization and at
tempt TO oyerfeach the rights OF Others.
The Kellogg plan Is not visionary SEN
timentality dreaming that human ma
ture can be- reVoiutioniHcd IN q day, IL
provides for the possibility That even
some OF the Signatory nations may Vio"
late their obligations. III which case all
signato Will be- automatically re-
leased from their pledges SO Tar As con"
Germs the violators
II also recognizes the right OF SELF
defense. No nation Is to be made help
less against international crimes. but
war viii no longer be recognized as
legal diplomatic policy. This does not
mean merely aggressive war, a pro-
posed by Premier BRAND OF France
when mis- FIRST treaty draft between only
France and America was offered. IL
means that all war. except IN sell -de~
fense alone, will be denounced. Ger
many and Great Britain agree win
Secretary Kellogg that this treaty does
not conflict with obligations to the
League OF Nations.
The solution Of the question OF how
10 secure world peace has been the
great problem OF civilization for more
than two centuries. Prior 10 tlla'
period world conquest had been the
only hope of peace. Cyrus, xerxes ana
Darius fought for peace" through con-
Qlefing their enemies or rivals, Alex
andef thought he had conquered all
opposition and could no longer enjoy
eonquest~and he wept nj peace, The
Roman Caesars achieved peace by Tor"
bidding their conquered provinces To
war between themselves. For a thou"
sand years feudal lords thfiVed upon
| their private war" until nations
united their teudai fiefs, and national
kings forbade any but national wars.
y y
Ths progress toward peace has been
| through evolution, fifst during the
! eighteenth century, local societies began
| ahnishinn the duel as q means Of set
| thing personal differences, and suhhtl-
| uiting law courts In place 0f the fields
| of "hnnor," Gradually the jurisdiction
| of law was extended 10 cover wider
| fields of dispute, No that IN France and
| England. and then IN other countries
| law began 10 control telldal lords.
/ lsnt there have remained the national
wars, increasingly serious. and the
| breakdown OF vallnnA affarla 10 force
nations IN settle ilielf differences by
international law. Fur II has been