Evening star., 1934-01-07
FINANCIAL SANCTIONS
TO PREVENT WAR URGED
Sir Esne Howard Proposes Nations
Under Kellogg Pact Unite
Against Aggressor.

be considered an aggressor or violator
of the pact which. summoned by the
other signatorieS to agree to an i'm
mediate armistice pending investiga-
ton of the causes of the dispute and
their submission to arbitration or to
The Hague Court for final settlement,
refused to sign such an armistice or,
If signed, to abide by 1t.
II both disputantS refused, both
would be considered to have violated
the Kellogg pact, and to have incurred
the consequent sanctions.
Financial Sanctions.
What sanctions should be applied to
force the violator back into the fold OF
the covenant or the Kellogg pact?
We may rule out any kind of naval or
military sanctions, since the whole
Anglo-saxon world would resolutely op-
pose them. The financial boycott, II
applied by the pact powers, would un-
doubtedly bring the offender to heel
in a short time. An offender would not
be able to get loans or credits, to have
bills discounted or checks changed, to
use his financial deposits abroad. for
these would be, naturally, Sequestrated;
in short, such a nation would be pre-
vented from buying from or selling to
the rest Of the civilized world until 1t
agreed to the armistice pending set
tlement by peaceful methods.
1t does not require much imagina-
ton to grasp how impossible it would
be for any country to carry on war in
such circumstances for more than a
few months or weeks.
The financial boycott would to
great extent cover an economic boy
cott definite prevention of the sale and
transport Of goods to the offending
country, though it is probable some
naval measures would be necessary to
prevent smuggling.
We may, therefore. take it that the
financial boycott would be the best,
most practical. least expensive, and
least destructive form of sanction.
There is, however, one more form
Of sanction which should be simultane-
ously adopted. This is that no advan-
tage, in territory or of any other ma
ture, gained by the offender as a re-
suit of his recourse to force, will be
recognized by the rest of the world.
This sanction, coupled with the
financial boycott, becomes an extremely
important weapon for the maintenance
of peace, because it makes war no
longer worth while.
The Ultimatum Question.
What authority shall be empowered
to present an ultimatum to belligerentS
that they must agree to an armistice
or take the consequences OF sanctions?
There are two strong reasons why
the Kellogg pact powers should be en-
trusted with dealings with violation
of the pact rather than the League OF
Nations.
The first is that practically all ma
tions, and certainly all great powers,
are parties to the pact, while neither
the United States nor Russia is men,
Der Of the League, and Japan has an
nounced her intention OF withdraw
ing
The second reason is that one essen
tial factor of the League, its demo-
cratic constitution, requiring discussion
and, finally, not only voting but unan-
unity whenever a really serious ques-
ton dealing with peace and war has to
be decided, necessarily makes it cum
brous and perhaps even an inadequate
machine for definite and immediate
action is crisis.
1t seems to me that to relieve the
League of this responsibility would be
to relieve it of burden which may
either prove fatal to it-because it will
be unable, given it's present constitution
and its inability to apply sanctions, to
check conf1agrations-or will necessi-
tate a change in the democratic char
acter of that constitution, which 1t Is
of greatest Importance to preserve.
It would seem natural that the Kel-
logg powers should implement the pact
by the addition of protocol empower
ing them through their diplomatic rep
resentatives in some capital, or through
a special permanent commission, to
take immediate action by presenting
the armistice ultimatum to the belliger-
ent powers, warning them at the same
time of the sanctions they will incur If
they refuse to comply.
There would seem no alternative TO
the general acceptance of some scheme
Of this kind for the prevention Of war,
or Of continuance Of the present sys-
tenn of alliances and counter-alliances,
of universal unrest and frantic national
ambitions, which must ultimately lead
to a war utterly destructive and devas-
tating.
Copyright, 1894. by North American News
Alliance