THE PROPOSALS FOR A LEAGUE OF PEACE- 

 BRITISH AND AMERICAN. 



By Rev. Ramsden Balmforth. 



{Abstract.) 



There is a considerable body of thoughtful opinion in every 

 country which is looking forward to some form of international 

 organization for the settlement of disputes between nations by 

 peaceful means. Indeed, if the present war does not issue in 

 some such organization, the immense sacrifices which have been 

 made during the last three years will have been made largely in 

 vain, and we, or rather humanity, will have suffered virtual 

 defeat. Before the war, this idea of the pacific settlement of 

 disputes by an appeal to the 'best reason and judgment of the 

 world had taken deep root in the minds of far-seeing statesmen 

 like Mr. ( iladstone ; and, since the war began, Mr. Asquith, Sir 

 Edward Grey, Mr. Balfour, President Wilson, Chancellor Beth- 

 mann-IIollweg, and eminent Russian and French statesmen have 

 explicitly declared themselves in favour of it. The Allies, in 

 their reply to President Wilson's Note, in January, 1917, declare 

 " that they associate themselves whole-heartedly with the plan 

 of creating a League of Nations to ensure peace and justice 

 throughout the world." The idea, therefore, is not Utopian. 

 Its realisation has come within the range of ])ractical politics. 

 As a result of this growing body of opinion two .societies have 

 been formed : one in the United States, called " The League to 

 Enforce Peace "; the other in Great Britain, called " The League 

 of Nations Society." The programme of the American Society 

 is as follows : — 



" We believe it to be desirable for the United States to join 

 a League of Nations binding the signatories to the following- : 



"First: All justiciable questions arising between the signa- 

 tory powers, n()t settled by negotiation, shall, subject to the 

 limitations of treaties, be submitted to a judicial tribunal for 

 hearing and judgment, both upon the merits and upon anv issue 

 as to its jurisdiction of the question. . 



*' Second : All other questions arising between the signatories 

 and not settled by negotiation shall be submitted to a council of 

 conciliation for hearing, consideration, and recommendation. 



"TJiird: 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. 



" Fourth : Conferences between the signatory powers shall 

 be held from time to time to formulate and codifv rules of inter- 



