Evening star., 1937-12-26
MORE EXPECTED
TOLEAVE LEAGUE
Geneva Body May Have to
Eliminate "Teeth" or
Dissolve.
BY WILLIAM BIRD.

BY WILLIAM BIRD.
PARIS. Dec. 25.-Ever since Ger
many withdrew from the League of
Nations in 1893, hopes have subsisted
that, by some compromise. she might
be lured back in again, and the League
built up to something like its former
strength. The existence Of this hope
and the negotiations to this end are
probably the best reason for Italy's
having remained a member for two
years after the sanctions" were voted
against her.
But Italy's withdrawal appears to
sound the knell Of all such expecta-
tions. The Italians have not at
tended League meetings during the
last two years, but they have kept
until now their technical membership
and thus were ready to resume their
place at the council table if the other
great powers could have agreed upon
the changes in the covenant which
they and the Germans demanded.
1t looks very much now as if there
will be a torrent of designations from
the League. Among the countries
which are seriously considering such
step is Switzerland. in spite of the
fact that that country is the seat Of
the international body The Swiss are
determined, before everything else, to
remain neutral, whatever happens to
the rest Of Europe, and there are
many leading statesmen in Switzerland
who are now saying that member
ship in the League endangers their
neutrality, and this in spite of the
fact that, when she joined the League,
Switzerland made a reservation to the
effect that she could never be bound,
by any League decision, to go to war
or to perform any act Of hostility to-
ward another nation.
Holland Also May Leave.
Holland, too, is beginning to wonder
whether 1t might not be safer to pull
out. The Dutch have extensive colo
NAL possessions in the Far East, and
they view with alarm the possibility
that the League may be drawn into
taking stand against Japan. The
Dutch depend, for the maintenance
OF their trade routes, on their punctili-
Gus neutrality, and on the fact that
capitalists in all countries are in
terested In their industries. But if,
through League membership, they are
compelled to take a stand that de-
parts from strict neutrality, they
might lay themselves open to Japanese
reprisals.
There are only two great western
powers left in the League, England
and France, and these, together with
Soviet Russia, are henceforth mainly
responsible for its policy. As these
three countries have now practically
reconstructed the ple-war Triple En-
tente, 1t is natural that smaller coun-
tries, particularly those like Holland
and Switzerland whose policy is based
on perpetual neutrality, should begin
to have misgivings
The withdrawal of Switzerland and
Holland would destroy any appearance
OF universality that remains to the
League, and all pretense of impair
tiality Several Latin American coun-
tries have already withdrawn and |
others will follow. AL that remain |
will be reduced soon, it is feared, to |
the Triple Entente and its satellites.
May Have to Draw Teeth"
1t begins to look obvious. therefore.
that the League will either have to re-
wise Its statutes drawing out such
teeth" as the covenant possesses or
else dissolve
A good many people would. off,
hand. be of the opinion that it might
as well choose the latter course and be
Gone with it. but the dissolution of
the League presents many intricate
olmcultles. One of the most impor-
tant arises from the fact that SOW
erelgnty over the eX-German colonies
now lies in the League, and that there
Is no other body which can legally dis
pose of them.
At the present time the question of
some of these colonial
mandates to Germany is under discus
sion. 1t was hoped that the half
promise which has been given Ger
many OF such restitution would even
tually lead to Germany's returning to
Geneva, but the Italian withdrawal |
seems to make such hope vain. But,
whether Germany rejoins the League
or not, it is only the League that can
legally attribute any colonial man.
dates to her. The dissolution of the |
League would raise questions of title
and sovereignty Of the greatest COM
plexity.
There is also the fact that the
League has built up large number of
international clearing houses touch
ing many important social problems.
and the sudden disappearance of these
organisms would create much con-
1usior. In the repression of the drug
trafnc, as we'll as in dealing with
white slavery, the Leagues agencies
are doing valuable and even neces-
sary work. Were the League to be
dissolved. this work would necessarily
be interrupted and it might take many
yecrs to build up other international
agencies for the same purposes.
Sanctions Clauses NAV Go.
That Is why the belief is growing
that the League will choose to reform
Its statutes rather than shut UP shop.
1t will not be surprising if, as a con-
sequence of the Italian withdrawal.
the Geneva body should decide to |
- 10 "a l.