desire war, and the one that does not will certainly accept the invitation of the League.

This method of preventing war with or among non-members is both fair and ingenious. They are subjected to the penalties and are offered the benefits of membership, except that a temporary membership gives no consultative voice in the general management of the League. Hence there will be a decided advantage in entering the League permanently, and an inducement for every trustworthy nation to do so; until it becomes an association of all truly self-governing countries to maintain the peace of the world. Hence also the power of expulsion, conferred upon the Council by the last clause of Article XVI, becomes a serious penalty that will go far to secure the carrying out of arbitral awards and the observance of all the other obligations of the Covenant.

The object of Article XVIII requiring treaties or engagements to be registered with the Secretariat and published is simply to prevent secret treaties and especially secret military alliances. It is wholly in accord

with our national traditions. Some people have suggested that an honourable country which has made a secret treaty will feel bound in honour to execute it, and therefore the provision that such a treaty shall not be binding will have no effect. To this there are two answers. First, that an honourable country will not make a secret treaty contrary to its agreement in the Covenant. Second, that in the free nations of the League treaties cannot practically be carried into effect without the action of the representative legislative bodies, and these might naturally resent a secret treaty made without their knowledge in violation of the Covenant; might very properly regard it as unauthorized, and refuse to carry it out. A change of the party in power might well result in its repudiation; for such a treaty would be a fraud, not only upon the other members of the League, but also upon the legislature and people of the country that made it. A secret treaty would be a dangerous thing for a government to undertake, and a dangerous thing for the other nation to rely upon. Therefore it is not likely to be made.

The criticism that in the United States a treaty is made when the ratifications are exchanged has no weight as an objection to this provision, because the exchange can be made when the treaty is delivered to the Secretariat of the League, as a deed of land is often delivered at the registry of deeds.

Article XIX, which authorizes the Assembly to advise the reconsideration of treaties that have become inapplicable and the consideration of international conditions endangering the peace of the world, needs no explanation. It gives power merely to discuss and suggest, and is part of the Assembly's general function of debating international relations, especially such as may threaten war.

Article XX, providing for the abrogation of all obligations between members of the League inconsistent with the Covenant, and forbidding any such hereafter, is merely an express declaration of what would be otherwise implied. Clearly if a nation enters into this Covenant-which is a treaty-it agrees not to do anything incompatible there

with, and a fortiori not to agree to do something inconsistent therewith. The further agreement to seek release from any prior inconsistent treaty with a non-member is what any honourable nation would do.

(Letter No. 19)

ARBITRATION

Senator Lodge objected to the original League Covenant upon the ground that it bound us to submit every possible international dispute or difference either to the League court or to the control of the Executive Council of the League. Senator Root, on the other hand, objected that it abandoned the principle of compulsory arbitration for which the American delegation contended in the Second Hague Conference, and failed to establish a permanent court of arbitration. By the revised Covenant (Article XII),

The members of the League agree that if there should arise between them any dispute likely to lead to a rupture, they will submit the matter either to arbitration or to inquiry by the Council, and they agree in no case to resort to war until