Evening star., 1928-12-18
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS.

Truly, there are many men of many
minds"-upon the very important sub
ject of keeping the peace of the world
This is again demonstrated in the dis
cussions as to how war is to be stopped
between Bolivia and Paraguay, and also
what effect the ratifying of the Kellogg
multilateral peace pact will have upon
adequate preparedness against possible
We in spite of the universal agreement
to outlaw war as national policy.
X X X
One of the controlling reasons set
up against the ratification of the
League of Nations pact was the fear of
establishing superpower which would
eign integrity. Americans objected to
being ruled from Geneva by body
which, not American. but European,
ideals would control. Nevertheless,
within the last few days an American
colonel has stood in the spotlight
through advocating that all the nations
of the world which belong to the League
should assign 10 per cent, of their flying
forces to one grand army, based on
Geneva ano commanded by the League
Of Nations. The service of such an air
force would be to compel obedience to
the Leagues commands. In short, the
American colonel is not satisfied with
American independence and American
ideals of liberty and justice, but would
substitute forced subordination to for
eign power, polyglot international
'Tammany" which would be the great
est supergovernment since the Roman
Empire. The proposal received promi-
nent position on the pages of news
papers after thousands of words about
the enthusiasm of League members had
been cabled from Switzerland.
Somewhat parallel with the flying
colonel's idea of winged army to en-
force international peace was the action
two years ago of conference in Pitts
burgh recommending world alliance
to replace the present League. It pro-
posed, by resolution, to overthrow the
institution of war, by outlawing it and
making war crime under the law of
nations"
The resolutions continued:
ITO this end, we urge that America
take the lead and call an international
conference for the purpose of adopting
universal treaty, in which the nations
shall forswear their ancient right of
waging war, and shall agree to sub
NIT their disputes to the Permanent
Court of International Justice, and shall
provide code of International law of
peace, whose primary statute outlaws
war and defines military aggression as
a crime. With war outlawed, the court
should be clothed with affirmative ju-
riSdiction over all disputes covered by
the code or arising under treaties, and
shall have the power to issue summons
to any nation to appear and answer
the complaints of another nation"
Supergovernment with teeth in it,"
Yet no such code of international
law exists, and courts are not expected
to create laws. This plan, devised not
in the halls of Congress nor the De-
partment of State by diplomats trained
in international intercourse, but by
preachers and laymen idealists, also
proposed to subordinate American inde-
pendence and sovereignty to a court
of law dominated by Old World int1u-
enceS. If the International Court could
summons a nation to its bar of justice,
how long before it would be defiantly
Knocked in contempt of court, or before
the court would be appealing to or
commanding that League army of 10
per cent of all the flyers of all nations
to enforce its DEGREES? What would be
the result of national sovereignty?
x x x x
The will to outlaw war was not
original with Foreign Minister BRAND
when he proposed such treaty with
the United States, nor with Secretary
kellogg when he enlarged the plan to
cover all the nations. Just so far, the
same will was expressed in the Peace
Conference at Pittsburgh. But when
that conference of impracticable ideal
lists undertook to specify means for en-
forcing a foreign courts orders IN
America, it got into water beyond Its
depth.
A great New York daily argues edi-
torially that the BRAND proposal OF
peace between France and the United
States was appropriate in itself. be-
cause We have been traditional friends
and have been at peace for more than
100 years. That century of peace
could not have been stretched very
much longer, else it would have bumped
into our first war after the Revolu-
tion-1798. Our French spoliation
claims are still alive. We also have
been at peace for more than 100 years
with every European nation except
Spain and with all American nations
except Mexico. which in 1846 We con-
which we took. Later we saved Mexico
from a European usurper and asked
no compensation therefor. So, after
all, why limit the scope of the peace
treaty to France?
All American nations, in conference
at Havana, adopted the same principle
oIltlawing war. That includes Bolivia
and Paraguay, which also are sigma
tories to the League. Covenant