THE FEDERATION OF LEAGUE OF NATIONS SOCIETIES
[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] SIR,—Your " Correspondent at The Hague," in his interesting letter on the meeting of the Federation of League of Nations Societies, shows a resentment against the activities of the Federation with respect to minorities which has led him to one misstatement, or at least misrepresentation, of facts. It is not a fact that complaints regarding minorities " cannot be heard at the League unless they proceed from the minorities themselves or from some Government having no interest in the question." They cannot, indeed, be formally brought before the Council at all except on the initiative of some member of the Council, which initiative, under the established procedure, is taken on receipt of a petition. The only con- dition of receivability for a petition as regards authorship of it (apart from form, purpose, etc.) is that laid down in 1923, and never since restricted or altered, that a petition " must not emanate from an anonymous or unauthenticated source."
Your correspondent takes the view that if the eye does not see the failure to accord a minority its just rights, secured by treaty, the heart need not grieve over it ; so long as " inter- national disputes " do not arise, failure to observe treaty obligations does not, apparently, matter. This view is the direct contrary to that expressed in the Treaties, and held by the League as guarantor of those Treaties ; to wit, that if a minority is to feel true loyalty to its majority (which is not the same thing as being too cowed to express an opinion), it must receive a modicum of decent treatment. That the minorities have too often failed to receive their just dues at Geneva has been owing to the very mentality which your correspondent represents : that the principles of the League and the Treaties ought to give way to considerations of " international affairs " : that a powerful State ought not to be shamed into doing her duty because someone else wants to placate her for one or another reason.
It is to be hoped that those persons who occupy themselves, with full justice, with the observance of Minority Treaties and declarations will not allow other persons to " butt in " and lay down the law for them, especially when the law is based on such reasoning.—I am, Sir, &c., TynActirs.
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