Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-15
BY FRANK II. SIMONDS.

~ ENEVA.-In addition to the
economic and political crises,
which are at the moment
~ profoundly disturbing Europe,
there is a third, which can
perhaps be properly called the League
of Nations crisis. In the larger sense
this Geneva difficulty follows upon the
wholly its own. In fact, the general
situation has brought the League of
Nations to the most acute crisis in its
II years of history.
There Is not, to be sure, any question
about the survival of the League. On
the institutional side it has already
established itself as a permanent
mechanism for the performance OF va
riouS international tasks. 1t has de-
veloped a large, highly trained and
devoted seCretariat and it has become
the center OF activities. whose number
and extent are well nigh bewildering
to the visitor who wanderS into the
rather gloomy structure that still
houses the League and consults the
bulletin board for the days business.
Again, as the recent council meeting
once more demonstrated, the League
remains a meeting place for European
statesmen and a kind of court of last
resort for difficult issues, which might
otherwise long poison the whole Euro
pean atmosphere. Thus in the case of
the dispute between Poland and Ger
many over alleged Polish atrocities in
Upper Silesia it is difficult to see how
disastrous results could have been
avoided in the face Of rising German
resentment and indignant Polish re-
joinder had the discussion continued
to be carried on directly between War
saw and Berlin, instead of being SUBJ
mitted to the council of the League.
Temporary Compromise.
Thanks to the Geneva opportunity
both zaleskie of Poland and Curtius of
Germany were protected from the i'm
possible demands of their nationalist
extremists, a temporary compromise
was agreed upon, which took the dis
pute out of the headlines at least for
some months, and all this happened
without any injury being done to the
prestige Of Poland or the genuinely
disturbed sentiments of Germany.
1t is not difficult to believe that had
the statesmen Of June and July, 1914,
had a League of Nations to resort to
and public opinion in the world in
sistent that this further step preceding
mobilization and war be taken, the
great catastrophe might have been
avoided, particularly since now each
new memoir makes it clearer that in
the last moments Europe went to war
because its leaders were on the one
hand overtaken by panic and on the
other without means Of decent retreat.
When one has said all this, however,
It remains true that the fortunes of the
League are today in full crisis because,
despite its proved value both on the
institutional side and as an escape
valve, it has so far been unable to
make any real contribution TO the
supreme problem, which is the organ
ization Of peace itself. The failure has
been double, too, equally complete on
the economic side and the political.
Thus at the moment when the whole
continent has been stricken by the
economic depression. it has been unable
to devise any means of cooperation
between states whose intelligent CO.
operation is patiently one Of the first
steps in arriving at a general recovery.
Equally 1t has failed to insure COM
bination between agrarian states and
association between industrial and
agrarian nations naturally compile
mentary.
Basis for Experiments.
Underneath Brands grandiose scheme
for united states of Europe there was
at least a measure Of solid and at the
moment pertinent basis for local and
regional experiments, but all came to
nothing and a Dutch speaker at the
moment of final fiaSco pronounced an
address in League committee which
was at once an indictment and a con-
1ession; indictment Of the responsible
statesmen, confession Of the failure of
their effort. All that this conference
to attain European unity could offer
was holly contested proposal TO in
vite Soviet Russia, whose recent dump
ing had prostated world markets. to
join in the furthering Of European
union and cooperation
This failure on the economic side was
OF course a consequence Of the failure
on the political And the political fail
ure Is due to the fact that Europe is
today divided into groups, into two
camps, one demanding the revision Of
the peace treaties, the other their pres
eryation untouched. And the League
has become the battle-ground of the
groups. while every question Of real
moment raised becomes the basis for
the maneuvering Of the two groups for
technical advantage.
wilson believed that he was going
60 establish just peace in Europe and
make the League the instrument to
maintain this peace. His League was
to perpetuate a peace already made, but
his program fell through when the