Show MANDATES NOT SO POPULAR I 1 1 in the days following the war i when it seemed that the world had been made safe for dern democracy and i I lenin jenin Ti and a half dozen 1 1 other modern dict dictators acors were yet unknown we were told among other things that the united states should accept the mandate for one of the territories which had been taken away from the defeated central powers armenia tu was the country more often mentioned and when the united states senate refused to be enticed by the siren song of european politics the internationalists in our own country denounced uncle sam as a selfish shortsighted short sighted power who had not yet acquired the world vision the european victors in the war did not hesitate to take mandates to fo the conquered territories not that they wanted to outdo us in performing services to suffering humanity but that they believed considerable profit was to be derived by developing trade with the mandated countries well ten years have passed and it now becomes evident that uncle sam was not so shortsighted as the internationalists at the time would have had us believe great britain and france have had a great deal of trouble with the mandated territories and a great many britons at least are coming to the conclusion that the benefits derived were not worth the effort it is becoming evident that the mandated peoples do not seem to appreciate the great efforts put forth for them by their guardians in the interest of humanity france has had a lot of trouble in syria and will doubtless have more great britain lias has recently had a very unpleasant experience in palestine and one which is causing a great ma many ny of the british to come to the conclusion that the mandate game is hardly worth the candle one of the effects of this change in public opinion was noted recently when it was vas anno announced that great britain would give up the mandate to arak and would recommend that arak be admitted to the league as an independent nation there is no question that the bri british t government has been doing the best it could do to restore order in palestine it has sent reinforcements to the unhappy country and there are said to be now enough soldiers sailors and marines within c call all to keep the peace should there be another outbreak but all of this is both expensive and irritating and the british or at least a considerable number of thern them are beginning to wonder whether the time and trouble expended in maintaining mandates is worth what it cost the london mail in recommending that the entire policy of the government on mandates be reversed declares there is now no excuse for going on with it we restore order only to be certain that sooner or later we shall be required to do this same troublesome and thankless work over again why in the name of common sense should we be shouldered with the liability this last question is a very pertinent one it is one which the senators wisely asked when it was proposed that uncle sam go into the mandate business and it is one which can well be asked by every real american when it is proposed that his government take a hand in the european political poker game |