LEAGUE OF NATIONS

The first influential proposal for a comprehensive League of Nations came from i George of Bohemia, who in 1460 advocated the establishment of a league to secure permanent peace among the Christian states. Owing largely to difficulties connected with the position of the Pope the scheme failed, and little more was done until the end of the 16th cent., when Henry IV. of France originated his Grand De e in. To the Grand De e in can be traced the inception, not only of the idea of the modern League of Nations, but also of International Law itself. The proposals of Henry IV. were being developed in a promising manner when the king met an untimely fate. After the defeat of Napoleon at Water= loo, the Holy Alliance was formed between the Ozar of Ru ia, the King of Pru ia, and the Emperor of Austria, Based on the shifting sands of. royal despotism and designed to suppre the liberty of peoples, it enjoyed a very short existence. In 1915 the American League to Enforce Peace urged that the United States should join a League of Nations whose members would submit all international disputes for peaceful settlement and would utilize their economic and Inilitary forces against any member who committed an act of hostility against any other member without first submitting the matter at i ue to peaceful settlement. This lead was quickiy followed in other countries, when voluntary societies were founded to advocate the establishment of a League of Nations. The principal societies in the United igdom were the League of Nations Society and the League of Free Nations A ociation, afterwards amalgamated under the title of the League of Nations Union, The succe ful establishment of the League of Nations was largely due to educational work of these societies. In Jan. 1918 President Wilson i ued his fourteen points, which included provision for a League of Nations. At the end of the year General Smuts pub. a pamphiet with detailed proposals, which were largely adopted as the basis of the Covenant of the League of Nations. The Covenant was drawn up at the Peace Conference in Paris, and was unanimously accepted by the representatives of the Allied and A ociated Powers on April 28, 1919. It formed an integral part of all the peace treaties. The principal provisions of the Covenant include the following: The functions of the League are discharged by a Council and an A embly. The former consists of representatives of the British Empire, France, Italy, Japan, and o f]| four other states selected by the A embly. These numbers may be increased. The Council may deal with any matter within the sphere of action of the League or affecting the peace of the world. It first met in Paris on January 16, 1920. The A embly is composed of not more than three representatives of each member of the League. Its first meeting was held November 15, 1920, at Geneva. Each member has one vote. Any matter within the sphere of action of the League or affecting the peace of the world may be dealt with by the A embly. Except where otherwise provided, decisions of the A embly or Council must be unanimous. Article 8 states that the members of the League recognize that the maintenance of peace requires the reduction of national armaments to the lowest point consistent with national safety and the enforcement by common action of international obligations, Plans for such reduction and proposals for restricting private manufacture of munitions will be formulated by the Council for the consideration and action of the several governments. The members of the League undertake to interchange full and frank information as to the scale of their armaments, their naval and military programs, and the condition of such of their industries as are adaptable to warlike purposes. The territorial integrity and existing political independence of all members will be respected and preserved by the League as a whole. Any war or threat of war is declared a matter of concern to the League, which will take action to safeguard peace. Disputes between members which are likely to lead to a rupture must be submitted to inquiry by the Council or to arbitration, and the members agree that resort shall not be had to war until threes months after the report of the Council or the award of the arbitrators. Plans were formulated for a permanent Court of International Justice. If the Council came to a unanimous decision on a dispute submitted to them, the members agree not to go to war with any party to the dispute which complies with the Council’s recommendations. Hither party or the Council may refer the matter to the A embly. The Council will not interfere in a question which by international law is solely within the domestic jurisdiction of a member. If any member resorts to war in defiance of the above provisions, an economic blockade will be enforced by all the other members, and the Council will recommend what armed forces shall be provided by each member to protect the covenants of the League. If one or more of the parties to a dispute are not members, they may be made members. for the purposes of the dispute. If they decline membership, the Council may take such measures as will prevent hostilities. All treaties entered into by a member are to be made public, The Council may advise the reconsideration of obsolete treaties. The Monroe doctrine is upheld. Mandates for the well-being and development of countries not yet able to stand by themselves will be exercised on behalf of the League by the more advanced nations. Several provisions deal with conditions of labor, traffic in women, children, dangerous drugs and arms, communications and transit, and prevention and control of disease. All future international bureaus and commi ions will be placed under the direction of the League, together with the existing bureaus where the parties consent. The League has already brought about the establishment of International Labor and Health Bure. eaus. The following were the original members of the League: Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, British Empire, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, India, China (mot yet ratified), Cuba (not yet ratified), Ozecho-Slovakia, ¥icuador (not yet ratified),France, Greece yet ratified), Italy, Japan, Liberia, Nicaragua (not yet ratified), Panama, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Rumania, Jugo- ' At the beginning of 1923, 52 nations had become members of the League. These included every important country except Germany, Turkey and the United States. Germany had ‘expre ed a desire to join, as had also Turkey, but action on their admi ion had been deferred. The United States Senate had refused to ratify the League Covenant of the treaty. See Untrmp StTatas, | History. ' The first meeting of the League A embly was held at Geneva from Nov. 15 to Dec. 18, 1920. 41 states were represented. Paul Hymans of Belgium was chosen president. Spain, Brazil, Belgium and China were elected to the four non-permanent places in the council. The chief work accomplished at the first a embly was the adoption of a plan for a permanent court of international justice, and an international health organization was also established, with a program looking to the suppre ion of the traffic in women and children. Steps were also taken for the better control of the opium traffic, and resolutions were pa ed looking for the control of traffic in arms. Members of the League were invited to limit their annual expenditures on armaments to sums not exceeding those of the previous two ‘years. The second League A embly was held at Geneva from September 5 to October 6, 1921. Its permanent president was J. Van Karnebek, of Holland. The first members of the Court of International Justice were chosen, John Ba ett Moore being selected from the United States. Further action was taken for the suppre ion of the white slave and opium traffic, and a number of international disputes were acted upon, including those in Albania, Silesia and Vilna. The A embly defined Article 10 of the League Covenant by declaring that it did not constitute a pledge on the part of any nation to send military forces to preserve the territorial integrity of any other nation. The Article was defined merely as a declaration of Principle. The third a embly met at Geneva, September 4, 1922. Its most notable work was the succe ful carrying out of & plan for the rehabilitation of Austria by granting a loan to that country. The A embly adopted unanimously the principle of a reduction of armaments, based upon a treaty of mutual guarantee against attack. Hungary was admitted to membership, leaving only Germany and Turkey of the former enemy powers outside the League. An important change was made in the membership of the Council. It was originally planned that the great powers should dominate that body with five members and that all the other powers should be entitled to only four. As the United States failed to ratify and became a member of the League, the proportion became 4 and 4. The great powers provided, therefore, for the entrance into the council of two small powers, so that the proportion should stand 4 great powers and 6 le er powers. The six non-permanent members chosen were Brazil, Spain, Uruguay, Belgium, Sweden and China, The chief accomplishments of the League have been the settlement of the disputes between Germany and Poland and Silesia; the dispute in regard to the Aland islands; the disputes in relation to Albania; and as noted above, the granting of a loan to Austria. The League made no effort to participate in the negotiations protecting the controversies bea tween Turkey and Greece in 1922-3;.or between Italy and Greece in 1923. The president of the third a embly was | 7. August in Edwards of Chile.