THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS: Assembly’s Close

Said Senator Raoul Dandurand, Canadian President of the Sixth Assembly of the League of Nations, in the speech with which he terminated its session:

“We have still to examine the outcome of three words which are henceforth to be classic—Arbitration, Security and Disarmament. The deliberations of the Assembly have shown us that the spirit of the Protocol drawn up last year still lives and constitutes at present an ideal of conduct.”

His polished phrases came as a gloss upon the following situation. The enforcement of the status quo has been taken out of the hands of the League, for the moment, and is being attempted by making “regional security agreements” among the powers (see INTERNATIONAL). If these agreements fail, the powers are likely to return to the League and to something resembling the Protocol. If they are successful, Germany will almost certainly be brought within the League, and the assistance of the League made use in administering the regional compact treaties.

While these issues and the exact future role of the League remains obscure, three notable accomplishments lie tucked away in the chronicles of the present assembly :

One. A resolution growing out of that presented by the Spanish delegation (TIME, Sept. 28) was adopted, and provides that technical preparations shall be made which will put the League in a position to efficiently call and administer a disarmament conference as soon as the council of the League considers that international security has been attained, and that such a conference would be able to effect its purpose.*

Two. A French resolution, (TIME, Sept. 28) providing that a conference shall be summoned to study the economic ills of the world, was passed after considerable protest from the British.

Three. A Salvadorian resolution was adopted, under which the Council of the League will whip preliminaries into shape for an international conference to consider the private manufacture of arms, The co-operation of the U. S. will be asked “as soon as the United States Government considers that possible.”

Speeches at the termination of

the assembly were many and frothed with “the three classic words.” Lord Cecil uttered them for Britain, and added: “It is our business henceforward to be sternly practical. . . The League is the greatest international fact of our day.” M. de Jouvenal uttered them for France, and added that nations must not go to sleep as the echoes of one war die away and expect to awake in safety as the next one rumbles in the offing, but must make mutual sacrifices to attain mutual gains.

Signor Coppola of Italy caused a slight rift in the general felicitations. His speech was a mixture of pessimism and militarism; and called for the study of disarmament “on political not technical grounds.”

League Council. The Assembly passed a Venezuelan resolution providing that rotations of the nonpermanent seats on the League Council shall be observed from the election of 1926. 2) The same nations were elected to the nonpermanent seats this year as last, viz.: Belgium, Brazil, Spain, Sweden, Czecho-Slovakia and Uruguay.* 3) China lagged but six votes behind Belgium for the sixth nonpermanent seat.

Miscellaneous. The Assembly voted 11,000,000 gold francs for a new Secretariate and Assembly Hall. The present Secretariate is to be advertised for sale. 3) A League of Nations investigation of Persia’s opium industry was authorized. 3) A Chilean resolution was passed under which an International Press Conference will be convoked by the League. Said M Hymans of Belgium. “The Press is a great power which has a permanent seat in the League of Nations.” 4) Throughout the assembly a group of U. S. women headed by Mrs. James E. Neal of N. Y. kept freshly cut flowers on the memorial tablet to President Wilson, which marks the limit of the Garden of the League.

*This action is considered as making the possibility that President Coohdge will call such a conference very remote.

*Britain, France, Italy and Japan hold permanent seats.