Evening star., 1932-02-18

Suggestions that the League Of Ma
tions should enforce Its decisions with
the use Of s'police force" made up
Of army and navy units Of the world
receives little approval in the United
States. It Is held to be Frances an
swer to disarmament proposals, and to
represent q tendency toward increased
armament. Special emphasis is placed
on the difnculty involved in determining
the aggressor IN international disputes
with uncertainty as to the control OF
such an international police force.
THE composition and control Of any
such international force" according to
the New Orleans Morning Tribune,
would, Of course, be the most critical
point for consideration, II the proposal
received serious discussion. II the per-
sonnel were padded with q dispropor-
tionate overplus of French, Polish,
Csechoslovakian and Rumanian troops,
1t couldn't be regarded, Of course, as
anything but an addition to the al
ready overwhelming soldier-power OF
France and its continental dependents
or allies. II force Of that sort were
composed, on the other hand, Of ele-
ments widely recruited from the so or
90 nations constituting the League, that
might furnish a basis for discussion"
IAN international police force under
the direction Of the League Of Nations, J"
in the opinion Of the Columbus Ohio
State Journal, would be nothing less
than force to protect France. -" = As
Senator Borah predicted, the proposal
Is not looked upon graciously by the
other powers. Its intent Is too
potentially dangerous" The Springfield
(Mass) Union points out that such
conscripted army and naval force
at the command Of the League has
been advocated by France from the
time Of the peace making at Versailles.
where 1t was disapproved as impractical,
II not positively dangerous" That
paper adds: If France, Great Britain
and Italy, for instance, cannot agree
to common action for the reduction
Of their armaments, 1t may be imagined
what would happen In an effort to
agree upon the details Of League COM
mand Of q world force to which other
nations would be compelled to con-
tribute without an assured voice in its
use. Efforts to settle the question Of
the actual employment of such q
League authority and force In any par
ticular case or emergency might be
even more threatening to cooperation" +"
"Quite properly, the United States
n sitting tight" observes the Minneap-
oils Journal. declaring that "the whole
course of events at Geneva since the
beginning of the Far Eastern conflict
argues against the French proposal n
The Ann Arbor Daily News holds
that "the French proposal Is not likely
to get far" though It comedies that
the Far Eastern developments "have
shown the futility of moral force" and
that the League has failed as an In
strument Of peace because it lacked
. means Of enforcing its DEGREES" That
paper concludes that "the establishment
Of an international army would make
possible large reductions In national
armies, with consequent economic saw
ing and less threat Of war"
THE French statesmen" declares the
Daytona Daily News, ARE shrewd fel-
lows. What they have done Is smarj
politics, and with smart politics the
matter will end. But don't undervalue
the fact that IN this fourteenth yea,
Of the armistice . mighty nation, even
though only - . political play, pro-
posed to change the government Of the
world from military force to police
force. That idea may take centuries
to incubate; some day 1t will hatch.
The Sioux City journal remarks that
IT the League Of Nations can bring