THE AMERICAN PEACE LEAGUE.

Northern Advocate, 30 November 1916, Page 2

THE AMERICAN PEACE LEAGUE.

- The cables have recently made reference to the operations of the American Peace League, and some confusion has arisen as to its constitution. Advices from iVmerica show that it must not be connected with the wild "Ford Peace Mission." It has at its head such a responsible person as ex-President Taft and its members include men who are not at all likely to parade any vague theories upon the "blessings of peace." The League fully recognises that the war must be fought out in Europe without any outside interference, and its objects are to look to the time when peace has been proclaimed and when the nations will feel themselves called upon to devise further means to

prevent the repetition of the cataclysm that unrestrained PruseiJan militarism has been able to bring upon the world. The statement from which we have quoted embodied the league's proposals and the further reference to its activities make them of sufficient interest for republicstion here. They are as follows:— (1) All justiciable questions arising between the signatdry Powers not settled by negotiations shall, subject to the limitations of treaties, be submitted to a judicial tribunal for hearing and judgment, both upon their merits and upon any issue as to its jurisdiction of the question. (2) All other questions arising between the signatories and not settled by negotiations' shall be submitted to a council for conciliation for hearing, consideration, and recommendation. (3) The signatory Powers shall jointly use forthwith both their economic and military forces against any one of their number that goes to war or commits acts of hostility against another of the signatories before any question arising shall be submitted as provided in the foregoing. (4) Conferences between the signatory Powers shall be held from time to time to formulate and codify the rules of international law, which, unless some signatory shall signify its dissent within a stated period, shall thereafter govern in the decision of the tribunal mentioned in Article 1. These, as has been said, are the proposals that the league purposes placing before the nations after the conclusion of the war, and the outstanding novelty in them will readily be recognised in the suggestion that noncompliance with them is to bring upon the offender, or offenders, the military and economic might of a combination of all the other signatory Powers. With the formulation of the terms of peace at the cn c i of the present war the league asks to have nothing •whatever to do.