Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-01
An International Mortgage.

An international mortgage
On the eve of the annual assembly OF
the League of Nations at Geneva, an
other ingenious European scheme Tor
preservation of world peace Is brought
forth. 1t emanates from Joseph Paul
Boncour. chairman of the Foreign AZ
IS;rs Committee of the French Cham
Der of Deputies. re proposes that the
armed forces of every nation. Se placed
unreservedly at the disposal OF the
League Of Nations to put down wars OF
aggression. Under the Boncour plan
the League Council would exercise IAN
international mortgage" on the forces
of all countries in the event Of a war
crisis. The sovereignty of each OF them
would automatically vanish and the con-
troll of their respective destinies trans
ferred, horse, foot and dragons, to the
super-state headquartered at Geneva.
1t is only twelve years ago that the
selfsame issue, though not quite as
concretely stated, was threShed out and,
rs far as the United States is concern
ed. fattened out in the Senate at
washington. There were other rea-
sons why that body, disregarding the
feryent counsel of President Wilson, de-
termined to break the heart OF the
world" by refusing to ratify the treaty
of Versailles But the governing and
all-infiuential reason was the unwilling
ness of the Senate to wipe out the con-
stitutional right of the Congress OF the
United States to say when the Repuo-
lie should, or should not, go to war. A
year later, at the presidential election
Of 1920, the American people by an
overwhelming majority approved the &C
ton of the Senate in rejecting the
League covenant.
M. Boncour is to be one OF Frances
principal delegates at the 1882 general
disarmament conference at Geneva. In
the success of that conference the Gov
eminent and people of the United
States are profoundly interested. Next
70 ameiioration Of the unemployment
crisis and correlated distress here at
home, no project lies nearer the heart
of President Hoover than the one to
which Geneva will address itself next
year. 1t requires no stretch OF the
Imagination, no access to the secret
councils of the administration, to fore
shadow that the American delegation,
ut no stage of proceedings in Switzer-
land, will lend ear to any such enter
prise as M. Boncour has Matched. He
cannot be unaware of the currents OF
public opinion in this country in 1913
and 1920. If he has forgotten them,
he can only be reminded that the
United States Is as uncompromisingly
opposed today as it was then to
"mortgaging" its rights and its re-
sources to any international organization.
The candidate for the presidency, no
matter what party label he might wear,
who campaigned in 1882 on the Bon
cour platform could save himself the
trouble and expense Of contest. He
would be beaten in advance.
M. Boncours proposal for IAN inter-
national mortgage" on the military,
naval and air forces OF the nations Is
based on Article XVI of the League
covenant. This article provides for the
severance of all trade or financial re-
lations by members of the League
with a state which has committed an
act of aggression. It also authorizes
the League Council to recommend to
the various governments what effective
military, naval or air forces they should
contribute to the general pool for sup
preston of aggression.
It is we'll within the realm of posi-
bilities that American public sentiment,
expressed through the Congress, might
favor doing some or all of these things
in the name and for the sake of world
peace. The point is that Uncle Sam
would of necessity retain the inalienable
right of saying from case to case If,
when and where they should be done.
He would never relinQuish outright that
privilege to any other nation or COM
bination of nations, however idealistlc
and altruistic such surrender of our
national sovereignty might be depicted.
The American people are not ready to
give anybody a mortgage" on their
independence.