Evening star., 1933-08-20
LEAGUE ASSEMBLY FACES
FAILURE In NEXT SESSION
National Political and Economic Policies
of Countries Paralyzes Geneva.
Cermany's Neighbors Alarmed.

function Is All equal WILLINGNESS on
the part of all member nations to
act in accordance with principles OF
the covenant.
While the present leaders and the
contemporary spirit survive in Ger
many, Geneva is and must remain in
state of paralysis. Public opinion in
Germany is deaf to the moral appeal
of the league World opinion, which
was to be Geneva's most potent weapon
is not audible within German from
tiers-as 1t was not heard within
Japan during the acute phase of the
Manchurian crisis. And as a con-
sequence nations which relied upon
the league as an instrument for the
preservation of peace are now acting
on the assumption that for all present
time Geneva is helpless.
The economic phase of the world
situation carries the same implications.
Nations today are determined to main
policies which are inconsistent with
the basic conception of international
cooperation. For the failure of the Lon
don Conference Europe blamed America
and the United States held Europe
responsible. But the fact of course
was that tl.e blame was equal for at
bottom the unwillingneSs to compro-
mise was universal. Technically Presi-
dent RooSevelt's July telegram broke
up the conference: actually neither
the gold bloc nor the Sterling group
was more willing to yield on essential
points.
World Has Gone National.
The truth is that for the time being
at least the world has gone national
and gone with a bang Politically,
economically. psychologically national
ism is in the saddle everywhere and
distrust, dislike, deep-seated and pas
sionate resentment of the foreigner is
to be found on all sides. At London
Secretary of State Hull, who pleaded
for internationalism, seemed even to
an audience which respected his sin
cerity and admired his personality only
latter-day Casabianca.
Next month when the league meets
it will be with the realization by the
representatives of all nations that
war-and another general war at that
than at any moment since the armi-
stice That war may come next
week, next month, next year-the date
is problematical But it must come
eventually if nations continue to pur-
sue their present political policies and
for some. it is also we'll nigh inevitable
if the present spirit of economic ma
tionalism continues to prevail every
where For, to take the example OF
Germany, foreign war must be the
sole escape from domestic revolution
if tariff barriers continue to rise about
an overpopulated state which must
sell abroad to live at home.
In reality the world situation has
become so tense and so dangerous that
experienced observers of international
affairs look with keenest apprehension
upon every new international confer
ence or assembly. Each in turn, far
from making any progress toward peace
or prosperity, produces new disputes,
exacerbates old rivalries and precipi-
tates new crises Yet in the United
States at least the idea that to bring
representatives of irreconcilable policies
together can promote understanding
dies hard
Last Effort to Cooperate.
From the inner circle about Presi-
dent Roosevelt there has issued in re-
cent days the plain hint that the forth
coming session of the Disarmament
Conference will make the last Ameri-
can effort to cooperate with Europe
politically. But since our cooperation
now, as at all times since the defeat
and disappearance of woodrow Wilson,
cause it rejected all responsibilities or
commitments. what chance is there that
it can be more effective now?
At the bottom of the whole concep-
ton of the League of Nations was the
ASSUMPTION of a state of mind among
all peoples equally resolved against war
and similarly convinced of the need OF
practically unlimited international CO.
operatkon-political, economic and in
tellsetual. There was the belief that
tha war itself had created such state
of mind and that the mission OF the
league was to exploit the common will
of all mankind for peace. woodrow
Wilson himself reckoned primarily on
the force resident in reasonable and
enlightened majority in every state.
U. S. Hit Heaviest Blow.
But today no such basic sentiment
exists anywhere and the majority in
all countries is enthusiastically favor
able to nationalistic programs. BY one
of the oldest of all paradoxes 1t is
Soviet Russia which has become most
consistently international in its poll
cies. Italian Fascism from the outset
rejected the league, German National
Socialism toady spurns it with even
greater violence But it was the United
States, by refusing even membership
which struck the first and heaviest
blow to Geneva and furnished the f1rst
concrete evidence of the extent OF Will
sons misconception.
The world which was to have been
made safe for democracy has resolved
itself into units which in turn have
adopted either political or economic die
tatorships. And in all countries these
relationships have successfully invited
domestic support. by intranslgeance
abroad. Thus instead Of becoming a
potent factor for peace the league has
in recent years rapidly declined to the
status of an international bureau still
capable of performing useful certain
number of tasks, but utterly without
infle1ce in the sphere OF peace OF
war; whether political or economic. Ano
as & consequence the new assembly Will
see Geneva stock at the lowest quota
ton in the history of the league.
Copyright, 1889