mployment of military and naval forces to carry
into effect the requirements of the League, that to make such provisions
a necessary preliminary condition to the existence of the League from
the outset might indefinitely delay the formation of such a League, and,
further, the discussion of such terms would be likely to lead to
friction. The obligation imposed on certain States might involve a very
heavy burden, first, in keeping up armaments and possibly, later, in
actually going to war. Such stipulations, for reasons above stated and
illustrated, might place the leading powers in a position of great
embarrassment, and might actually themselves become the cause of serious
wars.

10.--The practice of making Secret Treaties by which the Sovereigns, the
Foreign Ministers, or the diplomatists of any nation can bind it ought
to be discontinued. The experience of the action of this country as well
as of others during the present War, as well as before it, supports this
conclusion. Negotiations must no doubt be carried on through the
ordinary diplomatic channels, but before a complete and binding
agreement is entered into, the duly constituted representatives of the
popular will should know and give their sanction to what is being done.
On the other hand, for unauthorised persons or any self-constituted
bodies or conferences to attempt to pre-judge such questions and to
carry on negotiations either with regular or irregular representatives
of other nations is pernicious. Such action is likely both to lead to
confusion and to hamper the action of the authorised representatives of
the nation, and is really opposed to sound principles of democracy,
which must be based on the duly expressed will of the nation as a whole,
and not of any section.

11.--Much may be done in settling the terms of peace after the War by
acting so as to remove probable causes of war in the future. The
adoption of some of the methods used in the past, as, for example, at
the Congress at Vienna, is sure to lead to future difficulties. Terms of
peace should not be matters for the kind of bargaining between the
powerful States by which one gives up something in consideration of
another giving up something else in exchange, and the contracting
parties treat smaller States or weaker nations as "pawns" in the game.
Each territory about which any question arises, each subject which has
to be dealt with, should be treated independently in accordance with the
re