Evening star., 1938-04-19
By CRESTON B. MULLINS.

BY CRESTON b. MULLINS.
Like the effort to provide the Amer
lean republics with their own means
for judicial settlement Of disputes
through an international court OF JUS
tice, the attempt will be made at the
Eighth Pan-American Conference in
Lima, Peru, next December to create
an American league of nations which
will enable collective political action
for preventing war In the Western
Hemisphere.
Already prepared for the conference
is Columbian-D Dominican Republic
project which combines their proposals
made to the Buenos Aires Peace Con-
ference in December. 1885. That con-
clave left the idea for the Lima meet
ing.
Closely affiliated with an American
league is the proposal, initiated at
Montevldeo in 1888 and repeated at
Buenos Aires three years later, for
strengthening the Pan-American
Unions cooperating with the League
Of Nations and its subsidiary agencies.
A committee of the governing board
Of the union. comprising Adrian Reel
nos, Minister of Guatemala; Miguel
Lopez Pumarejo, Minister Of Colom-
hia. and Fernando Lobo. charge
daffaires of Brazil has prepared two
resolutions for the Lima delegates
based on study of need for closer re-
lationships between the union and
other international entities.
Agitation for an American league be-
gan Immediately after the Geneva or.
ganization was created in 1919 and
in January, 1923, DR.. Baltasar Brum.
President of Uruguay, formulated
covenant for such league.
The congress held at Panama In
1925 to commemorate the first pam
American meeting summoned there a
century before by the liberator, Simon
Bolivar, authorized holding OF con-
ference to draft a covenant, but 1t
never met and the Havana conference
two years later ignored the subject
AS the result of consolidation of the
Colombian and Dominican projects
offered at Buenos Aires, a draft coven-
ant was submitted to the Pan-Amer-
ican Union and the subject included in
the agenda for the Lima parley, which
is now being examined by the men,
Der governments.
The American association would be
composed of every independent state
Of the New World and would have two
principal organs, the Pan-American
Congress, meeting early in a different
capital, and the permanent secre-
tariat, which presumably would take
over the functions of the Pan-Ameri-
can Union.
The policy of the association would
include non-recognitlon Of territorial
changes through force, remuneration
of neutrality in wars of aggression,
obligation Of each member to make
common and SOLITARY cause with the
victims of aggression, reduction of
armaments and restriction Of the arms
traffic.
Procedure for pacific settlement of
dsputes-ln which the use Of force
is renounced-embodies investigation,
conciliation, arbitration and interna-
tlonal justice, which are already
part Of the American peace machinery.
For the purpose Of Cancellation the
congress would sit as tribunal under
the Gondra treaty of 1923.
If diplomatic negotiations, investi-
cation and conclliation fail to achieve
settlement, arbitration or the facili-
ties of the World Court are to be
utilized. Jurisdiction of the latter over
1nter-American disputes Is recognized
without qualification.
The one new factor which the Co.
lomblan-Dominican project introduces
in inter-American peace methods is
the use of complete economic quaran-
tine or an aggressor without, however, |
military or naval sanctions. The fol- |
lowing sanctions would be applied in |
whole or in part, but in the order
specified:
Withdrawal of chiefs of diplomatic
mission.
Rupture OF diplomatic relations.
Rupture of consular relations.
Rupture of all communications.
Stoppage of all expectations to and
importations from the aggressor.
prohibition of all market quotations
OF the money and securities Of the
aggressor.
Embargo of all ships and cargoes
destined to the aggressor or to its ma
tionals.
Ihere follows comprehensive def
milton of the aggressor as the state
nranch they may belong, have i'm
properly crossed the land, maritime, or
air frontiers of other states. So.
Who has intervened in a unilateral
ana illegal manner in the internal or
external affairs of another state.
Who has refused to comply with a
legally given arbitral decision or sen.
tence OF international Justice"
The draft provides for the fullest
collaboration with the League Of Ma
tlons at Geneva.
Creation of such an organization
would necessarily involve laree-scale
reorganization Of the functions of the
Pan-American Union. The commit
tee Of the union which studied the ad-
NA'o1AAAtS VA ACAO1lllS UppOSSS any SUCQ |
change, although 1t favors broader CO.
operation by the union with the tech
nical work at Geneva
The union was forbidden by a con-
vention Of the 1928 conference to exer-
else any political functions. This re-
suited from strong movements at Ha-
vana, and at the previous session at
Santiago in 1928. to empower the gov-
erning board to conciliate political
differences.
Although the league proposal in
cludes badly needed fabrication Of
existing peace machinery, more moder-
ate strides in this direction are likely
If the league plan fails, as it appears
likely to do because OF decided cool
ness, already evident, on the part Of
the United States and some other
leading powers of the New World.