Nov. 4.
The weighty speeches in the House of Lords on Wednesday were instinct with solicitude for the League and the practical ideals for which it stands. They, appreciated the development of a crisis in the League's history. The further postponement of the Council meeting for the discussion. at Geneva of the Lytton Report is made with Japan and China consenting. This wise course recognises the danger of precipitate approach to one of the major issues which raise the question of the future of the League as a vital factor in world politics. Calm consideration of the achievements of the League will not endorse the view that it has contributed little to international progress. On the contrary there is a mass of evidence to justify faith in the League. The weaknesses, of which notice must be more seriously taken the near future, do not detra: from the merit of the Leagu: an undoubted brake on warlike ambitions. It may not hi applied: so strict a check as its promoters intended. Tt has, ever, imposed the responsibility of discussion and the search for compromise. To-day it stands, in a bitterly disillusioned world, as the one hope for solution of ternational problems on a peaceful basis. Underminement of its power has been due to neglect of the implications of its position. While its conception really involved the creation of a king of super-state dominating purely national policies, its promoters, by a succession of negations, weakened its international status. The League cannot in itself be stronger than its membership.
Its mistakes are not those of-a separate entity but the mirakes of each individual member, aggravated perhaps by the attitude of nonmembers brought into contact with it. Its successes have been those of an international body, working out national progress on lines conformable with the principles of the Covenant, Its financial policy has had a serious setback in the default on the loans issued under its auspices. The creation of the [International Bank at Basle has na first-class performance. If it is to be preserved, the speedy assumption of power to enforce the obligations incurred by its debtor states must be secured. The World Economic [Conference, of which so much is expected, cannot, function until the various issues raising acutely the competence of the League are set at rest.
What will the failure of the League mean? At the worst it will throw the nations duce more into the maelstrom of a struggle for existence, the only outcome of which is war. At! the best it will develop anew {those special alliances by which armed diplomacy will endeavour to keep the peace and, if his-{tory is any guide, will eventually, be so strained' in the effort! that war comes round in the vicious circle as the only relief. The hesitancy of the League in handling one of the major! problems of the last year- ha: been much criticised, Its des Perate resort to the Lytton Commission to extricate it from its earlier reliance on cathedra dictum on the Manchurian crisis was dictated by: realisation of the inapplicabilit; lof the sanctions with which it had provided itself. As they originally stood those sanction seemed to be conclusive. But it was forgotten that the League had been weakened by a series lof actions which, however justi-fable in the eyes of their authors, constituted the basis of a progressive attack on the Cov-tenant. First. there came the drawal of the United States of America, next the refusal of the United' States of America Jand Great Britain to enter into formal guarantees of French security. Other instruments of ce-operative defence were rejected. Locarno represented the first definite success in regaining ground. The Kellogg Pact might have reinforced that! counter-attack but its deliberate avoidance of obligations made it more decorative than practi This undoubtedly influenced th League in its wise recognition of the impossibility of applying sanctions when Japan was cited alleged breaker of the Pact. Lacking ce-operative guidance the Great Powers within the League fell back' naturally on national considera-us for the formulation of their policy in the Far East. They played a waiting game. The formation of the Lytton Commission gave them breathing space. In the meantime the prestige of the League suffered: markedly. In a sense an ey more critical situation _aroi over the sudden emergence of. Germany"s claim to equality of military status. In principle that claim can hardly be denied, any more than the contention that the failure Of the European Powers to disarm has been due, less to aggressive ambitions than to a sheer sense of insecui ily. This does not decrease the perplexities of the League. emphasises the plain fact 11 the three problems of the Far Eastern crisis, German re-arm: ment and Loan Defaults, bring upon the League what may well be a supreme test of its vitality.
Its survival of the test will depend in the main on the ability of the nations to act on the educational. influences of events during the past few years. The preservation of world-peace depends on the League. Lord Lytton has made that point strongly in the last! week. His contribution to the debate in the House' of Lords was satisfactorily met by Lord failsham's tribute to the Commission's work. Lord Hailsham's emphasis on the Government's desire to tind a united policy at Geneva fully showed how sensible Sir John Simon is of the importance of the League to the general solution of international affairs. As the Government spokesman, Hailsham could not be more explicit without exposing Sir John to the very danger against Lord Lytton entered a warning—com-mitral in advance to a particular point of view. The League therefore should have its chance and, within the framework of the Lytton findings, there is ample scope for a' statesmanlike and acceptable decision. Unfortunately, ardent supper. ters of the League have allowed their enthusiasm to carry them too-blithely in the clouds of disregard of realities. Mean-hil: the realities have been gathering strength and it is doubtful whether they can much longer be ignored. It is far easier to find excuses for individual nations than to prescribe remedial action. It is far easier to throw the blame for events on the collective mass of the League than to point the way to its assumption of that international influence which alone can make the principles of the Covenant effective. Taking, for example, the position of the United States of America, it is difficult to believe that, whichever way the impending' election goes, that country will enter the fold'at Geneva, Certainly the withdrawal of America from the Covenant which Her accredited representative did so much to bring into existence, has contributed greatly to the weakness of the League. Now that those weaknesses have come to the fore so unmistakably, it is asking a good deal to expect an outsider to risk the consequent of association directly with what may be _irretrievable failure, Yet, of course, by her participation' in the' World Economic Conference, America accepts commitments which can be more readily fulfilled if he status within the League wer secured; She is vitally concerned with the solution of the Disarmament Problem, of the Manchurian crisis and of the Loan Default—in greater or les degree. Her policies on those prime evitably lose force so long as she stands outside the Geneva Council cham. ber. But the League, if facts ar to be looked in the face, will have to seek salvation without its chief foster-parent. The task is not impossible. It is nevertheless supremely difficult, Fortunately equipment exists to fortify the efforts of the member nations. The Bank of International Settlements should not find the handling of the Loans beyond its resources. "The Lytton Report has definitely shown the way to gradual and sympathetic handling of the Manchurian issue. The recent declarations by the British, Italian and French Governments hold out promise of an honowrable compromise on Germany's equality claim, Nothing can be settled out of hand. Speed is a vital factor but it can be intro: duced more laying down general principles for progressive adoption than by attempting to effect a tour de force, which quite conceivably might wreck the League beyond repair.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.