Evening star., 1938-11-23
BY ANDRUE BERDING.

Associated Press Stan Writer.
Nearly 20 years after Woodrow
Wilson saw his League Of Nations
dream shattered the United States
again will discuss its participation
in a league Of nations-this time =
pan-American one.
A proposal by Colombia and the
Dominican Republic Of q league Of
American nations will be before the
Pan-American Conference At Lima,
opening December 8, to which Sec
retary Of State Hull will take an
American delegation.
A Western Hemisphere league is q
hardy perennial which from time
to time lifts its head At pan-Ameri-
can meetings, but this time there
seems less danger that its head will
be Topped OF.
In the past the bigger nations Of
this hemisphere have been cool
toward the American league be-
cause they were placed on the same
level with the smaller countries.
Many Latin American nations were
also devoted members of the League
Of Nations at Geneva and could not
conscientiously see their way clear
to . double allegiance.
Situation Now Ch9nged,
But since the last Pan-American
Conference at Montevideo five years
ago many events have occurred
which give q league Of American
nations project greater chance for
acceptance.
Some of the smaller Latin Ameri-
can nations have witnessed an ap-
preciable development that renders
them fitter associates for their larger
neighbors.
The devotion of Latin American
nations to the Geneva League has
diminished noticeably. The last
five years have seen the departure
from the League of many Latin
American countries. These include
Chile, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Hon
duras, Salvador, Paraguay, Brazil
and Costa Rica.
Now only II of the II American
republics are active members Of the
Geneva Assembly.
League Has Lost Prestige.
The Geneva League has lost much
Of its prestige since the Montevideo
conference. Its failure to quash
the Italo-Ethiopian conflict and to
take effective action in the Spanish
civil war or the Sino- o-Japanese war,
the resignation Of Germany. Japan
and Italy, the settlement Of major
European problems by direct nego-
tiation or by such meetings as the
-Four Power Munich Conference and
the settlement OF Western Hemi-
sphere problems by mediation of the
nations of this hemisphere-as in
the case of the peace between Bo-
livia and Paraguay-all have served
to whittle down the authority of
the League in the eyes Of Latin
Consequently there is more re-
luctance on the part Of Western
Hemisphere nations to regard . |
league of American nations as in |
vading the premises of the Geneva
League.
Moreover, the brrsque actions be-
ing taken by the totalitarian states
in various parts Of the worldly |
Germany and Italy in Europe and
Africa, by Japan in Asia-may in
fluence the pan-American nations
in drawing closer together into some |
form of association.
Proposed League Measures.
The league project before the
Lima conference includes:
A guarantee for the territorial in |
tegrity and political independence |
of the member states;
Remuneration of neutrality in case |
of wars Of aggression;
No recognition Of territory &C.
quired by force or compulsion;
A system Of arbitration and con-
ciliation for disputes;
A variety of sanctions against the
ranging from withdrawal
Of diplomats to embargoes, and
A definition Of the aggressor.
The project has an article ex-
pressly declaring that the "AssociA- |
ton of American Nations is not in |
compatible with the League Of Ma
tions at present organized in &C.
neva."
It further adds: ITO the benefit |
of peace a bond Of regular and |
permanent collaboration should be |
by mutual agreement be-
tween the two organizations. This
bond of collaboration may take the
form Of a joint declaration Of the
principles of law and policy which
they share in common or in the ap-
pointment of delegates by each of
the two organizations to the au-