Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-20
By CASTOR NERvAL.

A
Of Nations is gaining prestige to-
day and gradually becoming the
4 highly respected symbol of inter-
national justice that It's idealistic
| founders dreamed about. That CONT
nent Is Latin America.
In Europe the League Is still q mat
| ter Of controversy, although the cir
cumstances and the actual influence 1t
exercises constantly on European af-
fairs have made IL q reality. A reality
| which those on the other side Of the
The League 10 there. Even those that
disagree with It. or dislike 1t. have 10
admit the Leagues importance. And
bear the consequences Of the Leagues
| decisions, stanchly supported by the
French, the real power today in con-
tinentaI Europe. and their allies.
In the United States. although q no.
| ticeable change Is presently taking
place toward The whole aspect Of In
formation. relations change greatly
influenced, undoubtedly. by the world
wide economic depression-the question
Of the Leagues efficiency in solving In
tercontinental problems Is still looked
upon with Q certain degree Of skepti-
ciSn.
Americans Adamant.
Besides. even harder 10 break than
this skepticism viii be to do away with
the deep-rooted traditions of aloofness
and independence from international
entanglements which the American
masses have been hearing since they
were freed from the British crown.
mo foreign entanglements." they have
been told for generations, and today,
even II they begin to admit the diffi-
culties. the impoSsibility. Of going alone
all by themselves in the world. they
still look upon suspiciously anything
beyond their borders. Until this atti-
tude Is changed and confidence prevails,
the League Of Nations win always be q
debatabie proposition on Uncle Sans
shores. OF course. much will depend
on the League itself and its leaders to
bring about this change
Of the world the Leagues prestige IL
more matter of fact" one than one
Of principles Over there the League
has imposed itself upon the people by
the merits Of her own strength IN
handling the colonial problems Of the
big European nations. Either because
they had no power to oppose it, or be-
cause her influence was considered benz
eficial, those peoples welcomed the
League and grouped hopefully under
her wings.
But it is in Latin America. it seems
to me, where the League of Nations has
gone through q real test. II is interest
ing to note the different changes which
in succession have prevailed in the
Latin American public mind toward the
League.
Latin Changes Traced.
The original reaction, when the
League first appeared, was q frankly
optimistic one. With the exception Of
Mexico, where q revolutionary govern
ment was In control, and - this not
having been recognized by the United
States and other powers-was not in
vited to be q founder member, all the
other Latin American republics en-
Enthusiastically joined the League.
They had been told that this inter-
national gathering was to be the ma
ter1alizatton OF 1ong-dreamed-of ideals
Of equality, and that each nation, the
smallest as well as the largest, would
have an equal right to speak, and to
speak loud. Nearly every one Of them
had claims to adjust and controversies
with her neighbors to be settled. Who,
better than this council Of world DOW
ers, could deal with those differences?
Who could offer o better guaranty Of
impartiality, fairness and more effec-
tive means to carry out justice?
Thus, believing that the lonR-laeralded
equality Of nations was to have real
ization in the League. and that here
was an opportunity to ventilate some
Outstanding controversies, the Latin
republics joined the League eagerly, ex-
pecting to sit beside the great powers.
Little Powers Neglected.
They soon began to realize, however,
that ideals are still but ideals, and that
in the twentieth century force and ma
terial supremacy are still the last word
in international relations. Devoted en-
tirely to their own European imbroglios,
the big powers paid little attention to
their younger Latin American sisters.
The disappointment Of the Latin
Americans grew rapidly with the failure
Of the League to handle properly some
Latin American problems Finally,
Argentina, Peru, Bolivia, Costa RIGA
and Brazil withdrew their delegates on
different grounds. Unaware of their
possible combined value, the League did
not show much concern when they
parted from her, and thus q period of
coldness and lack of interest for her
prevailed for several years south of the
RIO Grande.
In the last few years the Latin
American governments, probably moved
by . desire to profit automatically
from the privileges Of the League-and
by their own failure to find other OUT
lets for the solution Of their feuds-