Evening star., 1932-03-06
League Has Fumbled in
The Far Eastern Crisis
BY A. q. GARDINER.

LONDON, March 5.-For the moment
the public mind here is preoccupied
with the meeting Of the League Of Ma
tons Assembly at Geneva, but expec-
tation that It viii take drastic steps to
assert the authority Of the League in
I the Sino- Japanese crisis is slight. The
PROBABILITY is that 1t will take It's cue
from the waiting policy Of the League
Council, which has watched the situa-
ton drift from stage to stage until now
1t is out of hand. -..
Under article XVI Of the League cove
nant, the obligation is imposed on the
signatory powers to sever all trade and
financial relations with covenant
breaking state, but the failure Of the
Council to exercise this power in the
early phase Of the crisis has paraly1ed
its initiative.
The failure was due to many causes.
It reveals the profound difficulty Of con-
solidation of the constituent powers In
the face OF q challenge from one Of the
most formidable members. Japan has
gambled, as the Sultan Of Turkey used
to gamble, on the mutual fears and sus-
picions Of the European powers, and
events have shown how fragile Is the
structure of the League at this stage
Of its development. It was felt even
by those most outraged by Japanese
action that q strong move might shat
ter the League and involve all the DOW
ers in war in which the original Issue
WOULD be as completely obscured as the
Sara1evo tragedy was obscured by the
great war.
Moreover, Japan has powerful friends,
and her influence in the Paris press S
one OF the most sinister facts Of the
drama. Even in England, where en-
hghtened and popular sentiment Is
solidly behind a demand for League
action, there Is a powerful propaganda
on behalf Of Japan, significantly enough
among the most jingoistic elements OF
the community. It Is precisely those
who were most insistent on declaring
war on Germany for breach of the
neutrality Of Belgium who are now the
most clamorous against League action
in defense Of the sanctity Of treaties.
y
Not the least OF the causes Of ths
Leagues tnaction has been the failure
to coordinate the Leagues policy with
that Of the United States. The League
powers doubtless are mainly responsible
and the fact that Britain has not la
dorsed Americas January note In reh
erence to Manchuria Is regarded As q
capital blunder in British policy. while
the Stimson letter TO Senator Borah Is
generally accepted as much the most
influential action yet taken. Its effect
was distinctly visible In events in the
much TO clarity the issue In the public
mind Of Europe.
The fact that Washington was indis-
posed to consider adoption of economic
pressure on Japan, however, undoubted-
ly encouraged the League not to con-
template that course Of action. In view
Of the washington attitude on this sub
ject, the news OF remarkable chain
letter movement In America for boy
extraordinary attention here as evidence
Of popular feeling on the other side Of
the Atlantic.
This inability to coordinate the
policies Of the League and America in
the presence Of common crisis, in
regard to which the points of view of
both are In essential agreement, is the
subject Of discussion In political and
League circles: The fact Is implicit In
the absence OF the United States from
the League and while there is no ex-
pectation entertained that America Is
likely to cease being independent Of the
League, it is felt that the present crisis
has revealed the urgent necessity for
some machinery which would enable
the League and the United .Itates 20
act swiftly and in sympathy in order
to meet an emergency, such as that m
the Far East, In regard to which their
interests do not conflict. Had ssch
means Of cooperation existed when
Japan sprang her mine in Manchuria,
1t is held that IL would have been i'm
possible for the present disastrous situa-
ton to have developed
(Copyriaht, laa2l