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THE AMERICAN MUSEUM JOURNAL 



would be dismantled, and the ships 

 placed at anchor in the harbors. In 

 case of necessity they would be available 

 rapidly. The proportion agreed upon 

 would apply to the United States and 

 to all other members of the League. 



The proportional reduction of armies 

 is not so easy to illustrate in simple 

 terms, but the principle of armaments 

 in proportion to power and influence 

 should be applied so far as practicable. 



It is to be noted under the principle 

 of proportional disarmament that each 

 nation would have the same relative 

 power it possessed before such action. 

 I am glad to be able to state that Lloyd 

 George supports the principle of pro- 

 portional disarmament. In the major- 

 ity of proposals which have been made, 

 it has been provided that all the free 

 nations that desire to enter a League 

 may do so. A League thus formed 

 would consist of many nations. Eeeog- 

 nizing the very great difEerence in the 

 strength and influence of the members 

 of such a group of nations, various 

 schemes have been suggested for pro- 

 portional influence ; but all the schemes, 

 it seems to me. present insuperable diffi- 

 culties because of the pride of nations 

 of intermediate po^ver and influence. 

 These would claim as their right the 

 same position as the first-class powers. 



It therefore appears to me that to 

 form a League of Xations which shall 

 at the outset include all the free nations 

 that wish to enter is inadvisable. The 

 League of Xations should at first con- 

 sist of the free nations that have borne 

 to the end the larger part of the burden 

 of this war against autocracy, namely, 

 the United States, England, France, 

 Italy, and Japan. The organization of 

 such a League under the principles 

 above given, even if it included no 

 other nation, would go far toward sus- 

 taining the future security of the world. 

 Even covenants to the extent above out- 

 lined of the English-speaking peoples 

 would be a mighty influence in that di- 

 rection. If the League of Free Xations 



is first limited to the five powers named, 

 the difficulties in regard to representa- 

 tion are overcome. They will have ecpial 

 representation. The difficulties of dis- 

 armament are largely overcome. These 

 nations have acted together; their in- 

 terests are common; they are in sym- 

 pathy. They will work out a plan un- 

 der the general principle of propor- 

 tioned disarmament, maintaining in the 

 aggregate a power sufficient to secure 

 the peace of the world. The League of 

 the five nations once formed, other na- 

 tions would be admitted under the con- 

 stitution of the League, and they would 

 have the rights and powers given them 

 under that constitution. 



A question which immediately arises 

 is, Shall Germany, which country is al- 

 ready committed to the principle of a 

 League, be admitted under the terms of 

 its constitution? 



My answer is that as soon as the Ger- 

 man people have shown that they are a 

 free people, wholly independent of au- 

 tocracy, have completely abandoned the 

 evil doctrine of "Might," and are ready 

 to support the existence of a moral 

 order in the world, that nation should 

 become a member of the League of Free 

 ISTations. This would mean that Ger- 

 many, once admitted to the League in 

 the matter of armaments as well as 

 others, should be treated upon the same 

 basis as the other five powers. But 

 there should be the strictest guaranties 

 that the agreements will not be surrep- 

 titiously disregarded. If Germany is 

 allowed unduly to expand her armies, 

 this Avill start again in the world the 

 race for enormous armaments. 



Another question that arises in con- 

 nection with the admission of Germany 

 to the League is the economic treatment 

 of the Central Powers after the war. 

 In this matter, to my mind, there are 

 two phases, that of reconstruction and 

 that of a permanent policy following re- 

 construction. It is possible, indeed 

 probable, that during the period of re- 

 construction, there will be a shortage of 



