The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1928-11-23
GUARDIANS OF CHILDREN
NATIONS
BY Richard r. Wood

by NACA04U AZ w WV
The meeting, in Geneva, OF the
Permanent Mandates Commission,
turns attention to the little-known
service for humanity rendered by
this useful department OF the
League Of Nations.
The Mandates Commission was
developed to solve the problem OF
how to govern colonies formerly be-
longing to enemy Countries"
1.-THE war to end war" could not APP
propriately end in general division
of booty among the victOrs. At the
Peace Conference at Paris was pro-
posed, in the words of the Covenant
of the League of Nations, the prin-
ciple that the well-being and deyei
opment Of such (backward) peopief
form a sacred trust of CIVILIZATION
The administration of these terri
tories was entrusted to the British
Empire, France, Japan and Belgium
as guardiance of the people they
were to rule, and responsible
through the League Of Nations. t.
mankind for the excellence OF their
government.
To supervise the carrying out OF
this trust, the Permanent Mandates
Commission was established. 1t
composed of nine members, chosen
because of their knowledge OF tht
problems of Colonial administration
They are selected s experts and not
as representatives of their countries
and at least five must be citizens OF
countries that do not hold man
dates" for the administration OF
cheese territories. Thus the Com
mission is free to criticize, anc i
has criticized sharply in cases OF IN.
Justice or poor government.
AT the meeting this week tn'
Mandate Commission will near re
ports as to conditions in the man.
date territory" it will ask ques-
tions, demand explanations OF OBJ
scure points, and il necessary It VII
,riticize and suggest reforms. All
it's proceedings are published, anc
the power of this publicity offers 9
strong inducement for good govern
ment.
yiscount Cecil of Chelwood, form
erly Lord Robert Cecil, helped es
tablish the system of mandates ane
the principle of trusteeship insteat
of exploitation in the government O,
less civilized peoples. ne THINKS
that, in spite of the criticisms that
have been directed against tht
Mandate System, it is very usefu.
and has been an influence for good
II can say with the greatest conf
dence that it has improved colonial
| administration wherever 1t has beer
tried" Lord Cecil said in recent
speech. What l would really like
to see is the mandate conception OF
trusteeship applied to all the back,
ward peoples of the world.
A special correspondent OF the
New York Times, writing from Lon
don, reports the coneensus of opin
ion of recent visitors to Southwest
Africa, that the district OF rangany
ika, which is governed by the Brit
ish under mandate, is more pro
gressive, and much more fairly rul
ed, than the neighboring colony
Kenya. which the British rule on
their own responsibility. A sincere
effort is apparently being made, HI
writes, not to impose British admin
istrators on native tribes, but tt
give more and more power to the
native chiefs of Tanganyika them
selves. In Kenya, on the other
hand, the white settlers are pushlnt
in and crowding the natives out.
Tanganyika. with it's British ad
ministrators responsible, not tt
London but to Geneva, is making
| progress on new lines. The man
date system is helping to solve the
problems of race relations, and to
remove the question OF colonial pos
sessions from the arena OF interna
tional centreyerysy. 1t is stor
| toward the use OF an the resources
OF the world for the welfare OF al
mankind.
4 "a