her reason is that, unless Germany be utterly defeated, the spirit
of militarism, which is not compatible with a League of Nations, will
remain a menace to the world.

What is militarism? It is that conception of the State which bases the
power of the State, its influence, its progress, and its development
exclusively on military force. The consequence is that war becomes part
of the settled policy of a militarist State; the acquisition of further
territory and population by conquest is continually before the eyes of
such a Government; and the condition of peace is only a shorter or
longer interval between periods of war. A military State submits to
International Law only so long as it serves its interests, but violates
International Law, and particularly International Law concerning war,
wherever and whenever this law stands in the way of its military aims.
The whole history of Prussia exemplifies this. Now in a League of
Nations peace must be the normal condition. If war occurs at all within
such a League, it can only be an exceptional phase and must be only for
the purpose of re-establishing peace. It is true a League of Nations
will not be able entirely to dispense with military force, yet such
force appears only in the background as an _ultima ratio_ to be applied
against such Power as refuses to submit its disagreements with other
members of the League either to an International Court of Justice or an
International Council of Conciliation.

X. Be that as it may, in a sense the League of Nations has already
started its career, because twenty-five States are united on the one
side and are fighting this war in vindication of International Law.
These States are--I enumerate them chronologically as they entered into
the war:--Russia (the Bolsheviks have made peace, but in fact one may
still enumerate Russia as a belligerent), France, Belgium, Great
Britain, Servia, Montenegro, Japan, San Marino, Portugal, Italy,
Roumania, the United States, Cuba, Panama, Greece, Siam, Liberia, China,
Brazil, Ecuador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Haiti, Honduras.
Besides these twenty-five States which are at war with the Central
Powers, the following four States, without having declared war, have
broken off diplomatic relations with Germany, namely: Bolivia, San
Domingo, Peru, Uruguay.

Now there may be said to be about fifty civilised States in existence.
Of these, as I have just pointed out, twenty-five are fighting against
th