The Dominio TUESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1928. THE LEAGUE UNDER TEST

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 72, 18 December 1928, Page 10

The Dominio TUESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1928. THE LEAGUE UNDER TEST

If Bolivia and Paraguay drift into> war the P rest '§ e * e Leaeue of Nations may be severely shaken. The League can prevent war. If can only provide, as an alternative, the machinery for settling disputes without recourse to war. By a cSence, the Council of the League was sitting when the crisis between the two South American ■ republics developeJ. Both are members of the League and therefore under a. mom obligation to use the procedure provided in the League Covenantif dealing with such disputes as that which has arisen Leag u Council has now addressed to each a reminder of these obhga ons with a warning to abstain from any military measures that might be interpreted as aggressive. .... •.< _ r In the absence of detailed information it is not possible at present to say whether the reported hostilities could be defined as acts of aggression. If nothing further than these occur the situation should still be capable of peaceful negotiation. . In addition to the efforts of the League of Nations, the Pan-American Conference and the United States and Argentine Governments are using their influence to bring the parties to reason. The most disquieting signs ate the official announcement by the Paraguayan Government oi tle mobilisation of all men between 18 and 28 and the movements of war material. . In ordinary circumstances a war between Bolivia and 1 araguay would probably be regarded as a deplorable happening, but of little international concern. In the present case, however, it is a question of the value of two nations’ signatures to an international document for the regulation of international relationships. If the obligations implied by these signatures are repudiated, the value of the document as a whole may reasonably be questioned. Article XII of the League of Nations’ Covenant provides that disputants who are members of the League • may not resort to military measures for at least three months after the Council has given its award. In the event of a settlement, the terms are to be published. Should there be no settlement, there must be published a statement of the facts of the. dispute, together with the recommendations of the Council. Members other than the disputants may reserve the right in the event of no settlement to take such action as they may think fit. But as the United States is not a member of the League, and this particular dispute lies within the region of the Monroe Doctrine, this line of action is ruled out. The weakness of the League is that it has no means of enforcing its awards or compelling its members to observe their membership obligations. There have been various suggestions as to how the League’s authority could be made effective. One was that an International Police Force should be constituted. ' It has' gradually come to be recognised, however, that if the League is to survive it must be as a moral, not a legal, institution, supported by and operating through the force of public opinion throughout the world. There may be no direct means of punishing, these two Latin republics if they defy the League and go to war, but at least they can be called to the bar of public opinion and suffer the moral stigma of being denounced for dishonouring their obligations.