Evening star., 1936-12-13
Member of the Associated Press.
An Epochal Step.

Secretary Hull does not exaggerate
when he describes as IAN epochal step"
the unanimous agreement just reached
among the twenty-one American nations
looking to preservation Of peace in the
Western Hemisphere. Its final approval
is especially welcome because the formula
was adopted after anxious days OF con-
troversy which threatened to disrupt the
fraternal spirit which permeates the
purposes of the sister republics. In Mr..
Hulls opinion, the agreement consti-
tutes not only the strongest guarantee
of peace which the American continents
have ever had, but is also timely ex-
ample to other parts of the world labor
ing under the malign influence of war
psychology.
The proposed convention does not for
mally mobilize the American states into
a league of nations or defensive alliance,
or profess to convert the Monroe Doctrine
into multilateral pact for which they
would bear joint responsibility. Despite
the omission of conditions literally pro-
viding for such binding commitments,
the agreement establishes relations
among the Americas on foundation
that solidifies their aspirations and in
terests to degree and in manner
hitherto unapproached and unattainable.
The accord comprehends three main
points-O a menace to the peace of
the American republics from any source;
ca menace to the peace of the Amer
lean continent through an inter-Amer-
tcan war, and 90 a menace from any
war outside this hemisphere that
threatens the peace Of the Americas.
To implement this peace and security
project, the contracting republics pro-
pose to set up more or less permanent
organization for consultative purposes,
with machinery geared for emergency
action. The body will consist Of the
various foreign ministers Of the Amer
tcan states. It will be clothed with
powers to watch over the obligations and
operation Of the five treaties to which
the several republics are parties, includ-
ing the Gondra treaty Of 1928, the
Kellogg BRAND pact of 1928, the Wash
ington arbitration and conciliation con-
vention of 1929 and the Saavedra Lamas
anti-war pact of 1888. AS pan-American
statesmen believe that loyal adherence
to these various agreements would suffice
to maintain peace on the American con-
tinent, what has just been done is to
adopt practical ways and means to
make their machinery work when needed.
That decision carries out the hope so
ardently expressed by Secretary Hull
that the conference would not content
itself with words, but accomplish deeds.
All accounts agree that the tangible re-
suits just obtained are largely due to the
tactz1 persistence and patience with
which the chief of the United States
delegation enacted the role of conciliator
when disagreement brought discussion
near the breaking point.
Thorny questions are still to be set
tied at Buenos Aires, chief among them
q formula for neutrality toward inter-
national conflict beyond this hemisphere.
Tariff problems, too, present difficulties.
Proposals for an American league of
nations to collaborate with Geneva have
yet to be threshed out. But the far
flung peace plan regarding which the
conferring nations are a unit is a feat
which will stamp the conference in-
dubitably with the hallmark of con-
gtructive achievement.