Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 1928. THE SECURITY PACT.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 48, Issue 85, 20 January 1928, Page 4

Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 1928. THE SECURITY PACT.

The memorandum issued by Britain on the subject of interna'tional arbitration is one of the most important documents that has been issued in connection with, the League of Nations. It states distinctly; that the time is uot yet ripe for a general system of sanctions for the enforcement of awards. And if enforcement is not practicable the idea of arbitration loses much, though not all, of its efficacy. Disputes which are capable of' adjustment by arbitration are already provided for, the present discussion being concerned with the possibility of bringing under the system all international differences. This subject was recently dealt with by the "Bound Table/' which put the questions: Ought we to enter into any obligation whateverwhich will give to some outside authority, the League of Nations, the World Court, an artitral body, an ally, the right of deciding what our action, in war or in peace, should be? ; Or should we, while no-operating as actively and as vigorously as possible in international affairs, make it a condition of such co-operation that every Cabinet and Parliament must retain the clear right, in every case, to decide on the ac; fcion it should-take and the policy it should pursue? Keealling that, under the Covenant, the units of the British Empire are bound "to preserve as against external _ aggression" the existing frontiers, the journal asks the further questions : Do the nations of the Commonwealth really intend, automatically and pereptualty, to guarantee the existing Polish-Russian frontier, or all the other contentious frontiers in Europe, against -attempts by Russia, Germany, Hungary, or Bulgaria, to secure some rectification? And i are we prepared to undertake economic or military or naval sanctions against members in Asia and Centra] America who come to blows before complying with all the League procedure foi' the settlement of international disputes, .irrespective of the merits of the issue, and just because of what is written in the Covenant? To this the "Round Table" replies: "Obviously we are not. Surely, therefore, it is batter honestly to say so now. Fin ally -under the terms of the Covenant; as it is to-day if the "United States gets into a quarrel with any Central American State or with Japan, we are bound to take sanctions against her if she refuses to comply with the procedure laid down in the Covenant and goes to war. Do we mean to bind ourselves automatically to do this? Of course not. Then surely it is both wiser and more honest to say so now. This criticism of the Covenant in no way implies any lack of supnort of the League of Nations. The League of Nations is by far the most," effective and hopeful instrument for the prevention of Avar and the promotion of international understanding that the world has yet seen. The essential thing is not to try to tie the hands of members beforehand, but to provide machinery which, with the greatest possible speed, will give publicity to all the facts and will educate and mobilise public opinion about them, and will provide as long as possible a delay before hostilities' can break out." Autocracies may declare war and make peace and the people will follow. But self-govern-ing pupils will assume the terrible responsibility of doing things that may lead to war only when the rights and wrongs are understood and a moral and not a mere legal obligation to act appears.