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requiring a national plebiscite or referendum before declaration of war, or of a state of war, except in case of actual or imminent invasion of territory.

International Problems

I. What the Peace Settlement Conference should provide for:

(1) A declaration of the Rights and Duties of Nations. (2) That no transference of territory shall take place without the consent of its men and women, nor autonomy and a democratic government be refused to any people.

(3) A Concert or League of Nations open to all States. (4) A drastic reduction of rival armies and navies, looking toward disarmament.

(5) International protection for unorganized regions, such as the African dependencies.

(6) New international adjustments giving adequate outlets or establishing changes of jurisdiction in the interests of justice, peace and of economic opportunity for all nations.

(7) The international control of seas and of international waterways.

II. What the Third Peace Conference at The Hague should provide for. (It is hoped that this conference will be convened at an early date after the Peace Settlement Conference.)

(1) A reconstruction of international law, based on the Declaration of Rights and Duties of Nations. (2) The continued stability of the Permanent Court of Arbitration.

(3) A world Court of Justice (in addition to the Permanent Court of Arbitration, provided for in 1899), with jurisdiction over international disputes, not settled by negotiation, that are justiciable in char

acter.

(4) A permanent International Council of Conciliation

which shall not only examine specific cases of friction but shall study and report on existing situations and policies leading to war and shall recommend methods that might prevent war.

(5) A Permanent International Conference, meeting regularly every two or three years, which shall formulate rules of international law to govern in the decisions of the World Court.

(6) A Permanent Continuation Committee of the Conference to carry out the provisions of the International Conference, to study international relationships and to prepare the programs for the International Conference.

(7) Permanent International Administrative Commissions on matters of common international interest (such, for example, as the protection of unorganized regions, as referred to above, public health, waterways, immigration and emigration and protection of expatriated nationals, international finance and trade).

III. Educational Foundations.

An exposition by an international committee of the application of the universally recognized moral code to relationships among states and between citizens of different states. Such a code to be especially prepared for use in schools.

THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS SOCIETY

[The League of Nations Society (1 Central Buildings, Westminster), was founded March 10, 1915. The chairman is the Rt. Hon. W. H. Dickinson, M.P.]

PROGRAM

1. That a Treaty shall be made as soon as possible whereby as many States as are willing shall form a League binding themselves to use peaceful methods for dealing with all disputes arising among them.

2. That such methods shall be as follows:

(a) All disputes arising out of questions of International Law or the interpretation of Treaties shall be referred to the Hague Court of Arbitration, or some other judicial tribunal, whose decisions shall be final and shall be carried into effect by the parties concerned.

(b) All other disputes shall be referred to and investigated and reported upon by a Council of Inquiry

and Conciliation. the Council to be representative of the States which form the League.

3. That the States which are members of the League shall unite in any action necessary for insuring that every member shall abide by the terms of the Treaty.

4. That the States which are members of the League shall make provision for mutual defense, diplomatic, economic, or military, in the event of any of them being attacked by a State, not a member of the League, which refuses to submit the case to an appropriate Tribunal or Council.

5. That any civilized State desiring to join the League shall be admitted to membership.

LEAGUE TO ENFORCE PEACE

[On June 17, 1915, on the call of one hundred and twenty of the most influential and representative men from all sections of the country about four hundred met in Independence Hall, Philadelphia, and organized this League whose reason-for-existence is to "adopt a program of action to follow the present war which would look towards the possible prevention of future wars."

Ex-President Taft has served as President of the League and President A. Lawrence Lowell of Harvard as President of the Executive Committee from the beginning.]

PROPOSALS

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 signatory powers, not 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 any 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.

Third: 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.

The following interpretation of Article 3 has been authorized by the Executive Committee:

"The signatory powers shall jointly use, forthwith, their

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Photo by International Film Service

J. RAMSAY MACDONALD, M.P.

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