298 HUMAN LIFE IN RUSSIA
if it were to act strictly in accordance with the political factors
should on principle not exceed the scope of the special interest*
of the member states. But what is the actual position? For mow
than sixteen years, in declarations, resolutions, manifestos of
all kinds, it has always been insisted that the actions of the
League were guided above all by the great principles of law
and humanity. For sixteen years Geneva delegates, great and
small, have paid tribute to these principles (the author, has
been present at every single Assembly of the League). This
was the one leitmotif of all the speeches of Aristide Briand
and many other brilliant orators. But it was only too soon to
become clear that in the proceedings of the League of Nations
there was an extraordinary, ever-growing discrepancy between
words and deeds, between theory and practice. Geneva had
become the playground of the most gifted orators from all
the world's states. Every one of their ringing declarations was
welcomed, but when it came to action, no one would deviate a
hair's breadth from a misconceived political egotism. Very often
—just as an example—"the sacred rights of the nationalities"
were spoken of. But when one or another of the national
groups addressed a petition to the League, as provided in the
treaties for the protection of minorities^ it happened only too
often that it led to no positive results, not even on the most
modest scale.
Another example! A few years ago the delegates congratulated
each other with especial joy on the acceptance of a resolution
in favour of the beginning of a reduction of the existing
Customs barriers. Many were inclined to see in this event a
significant turning point in the economic development of
Europe. But what happened? A year later, when another .
meeting of the League was to continue the attack on economic
barriers of a political nature, the president was obliged to
declare that in the meantime, despite the important decision
taken a year before, Customs tariffs had been raised still
higher in almost every state instead of being lowered.