The Dominion MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1919. THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 116, 10 February 1919, Page 4

The Dominion MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1919. THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS

fr— The hopeful statement is made in one of to-day's cablegrams that the barometer is rising for the League of Nations.. There does.not seem to be any doubt that substantial progress has been made in the greatest and most difficult task submitted to the Peace Conference. Tho draft constitution of the League is transmitted as it was drawn up by a committee, and has not yet been considered at a plenary session of tho Conference. No doubt, however, the members of the committee will bo able to heavily influence the authoritativo decision of the full Conference, and in its broad features as it is outlined the plan upon which they have settled seems likely to gain approval on its merits. . Obviously these merits must be estimated with an eye chiefly to the practical solution it offers of 'the problem of establishing international security. The point is emphasised that the members of the committee or commission which produced the' draft constitution of the' League found themselves in agreement on all vital principles. This, however, was to be expected. When the time comes to define the relationship of Germany to the League of Nations some difficult questions will arise in regard to securing guarantees of good faith from that country. But so far as the Allied nations are_ concerned it has long been the position that the only serious obstacle to the creation of the League of Nations'has'been that of finding the right method of securing international justice and peace. ■ Given smooth-working machinery capable of serving this purpose it. is not in doubt that the League of Nations .in working operation will be supported by an overwhelming force of public opinion in the Allied nations. ' The danger to be overcome is that this great moral force may be stultified by the failure of the nations to create , such machinery. '' The plan which is cabled in outline to-day commends itself as being of a definitely practical character. As it stands ■ it leaves some very big questions unanswered, but within the limits to which it extends it is boldly constructive, and it seems to be cast on such lines as .would facilitate the development and growth of the international authority. It is the central feature of the proposals as they stand that the nucleus of the League should be the five Great Powers now , represented at the Conference: Britain, France, Italy, , Japan, and the United States. This, undoubtedly is a wiie initial ste,p. If, it is approved substantial form will at once be given to the League, and there will be an avoidance of the indefinite delays that might bo expected if its establishment were deferred until more than a score of big and little nations had been induced to agree to a common working plan. The effective co-operation of the five great nations named will give a firm foundation to build upon both in securing the adhesion of the smaller Allied countries and. neutral nations on the lines stated in the cablegram and in imposing such conditions' on Geraiaiiy and other enemy States as will lend to safeguard future peace. Considering their ■ enormous aggregate weight and influence in internatirnal affairsj and also t'iat it is wholly i:i their interest to make the constitution of the" . League as broadly comprehensive as possible, it will hardly be contended that the five Powers.are taking too muoh upon themselves in assuming' the status of leading, partners and directors of the League of Nations. The arrangement, commends itself a3 ;- being calculated to save a .vast amount of time, that otherwise would be wasted in contention over questions of secondary importance and'as opening the shortest road, perhaps the only rpad, to the goal that all the Allied nations, at least desire to reach. On what lines exactly it is proposed to constitute the executive of the League is not ■clear at the moment, but the general idea of making the whole organisation centre on the five principal nations of the Allied group is retained. The British proposal was,that the executivo should con- [ sist of the representatives of the five big Powers, provision being made for calling in the representatives of smaller countries when their interests demanded it.: Ap.parently this has been, rejected in favour of permitting groups of small nations to elect members to the executive, but it seems likely that in practice the course advocated by Great Britain would, give more satisfaction and lead to better results. The scheme, of course, is still open to amendment in all or any of its details. According to the cabled summary the draft constitution provides for three phases in the settlement of disputes, the first diplomacy, the second > arbitration, and then war, but war would only' be permissible if after three months' consideration a_ disputant refused to accept a decision reached by arbitration. This leaves p soma, vital questions open. For instance, it is proposed that the League'should guarantee the independence and sovereignty of all members, but nothing is said of the means of safeguarding individual members against sudden and felonious attack. For anything that appears to the contrary in to-day's _ cablegrams the absolute nocessity individual nations are under of doing everything possible to safeguard their own security remains, as it has been, the chief obstacle to unrestricted international co-opera-tion for the preservation of peace. But even if nations are still bound to mako some provision for their own safety they are not thereby made incapable of loyally co-oper-ating on the lines laid down in the draft constitution. To appearance it offers a practicable means of everywhere setting limits upon armaments, partly by agreement and partly by express regulation, and of creating an international authority which no nation could disregard without incurring moral outlawry. The conditions outlined being once established, it would be an exceedingly difficult matter for any, nation to develop, plans with

a view to predatory war and to avoid being called to account and, if obdurate, crippled by economic and other penalties long before its preparations are completed,. Obviously if the Allied Powers are able to agree forthwith upon such a plan of action difficulties connected with the limitation of armaments and with national safeguards, will be less formidable than if it is found possible only to take some preliminary steps towards such a plan. It counts for a great deal that even if they are in some respects imperfect definitely organised measures to secure international justice and peace will undoubtedly be supported by a tremendous force of moral sentiment throughout the world. The vital thing is to make a beginning on practical lines, and hopes of such a beginning are distinctly brightened by the news transmitted to-day.