Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - Chapter IV. Safeguarding the Rights of the Baltic Minorities. Paper presented to the Council of the Federation of the League of Nations Societies at Vienna, October 1921
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30
tive whole. But surely this deficiency can be remedied. Racial
cadastres including everyboly belonging to a given minority have already
been introduced in many States, and in theory this requirement has
been copiously formulated") and, furthermore, the minorities in many
States, have organised themselves in closely bound corporations. For
instance, in Estonia a bill was brought before parliament about
organisation of the autonomous racial minorities". In the different States
the minorities are represented in Parliament by their respective
members. It is therefore quite possible to look upon the racial minorities ot
a State as an orgahic whole, able to enjoy the position of a „personne
morale" and endowed with full legal capacity even from an
international point of view, although they are by no means an independent
sovereign organism. The objection that no sovereign State could consent
to have its dissentiont with, its minorities brought before a foreign
tribunal, is null and void, since the League of Nations and its associate,
the permanent Tribunal at the Hague represent all the States which
are its members and are therefore, not foreign but national in a wider
sense. Of course a sceptic could say that even so the minorities cannot
be sure that their rights will be observed since the Leagu.e of Nations
and the Permanent Tribunal at The Hague have no military force at
their command, but, on the other hand, it would be of great
importance if the Permanent Tribunal at the Hague were to pronounce itselt
on minorities’ questions, for the moral weight of such judgements would
undoubtedly go far to improve the position of the minorities.
The principles laid down in ten treaties concluded at Trianon,
Versailles and Sevres have inspired the „recommendation" of the Assembly
of the League of Nations adopted on December 15th 1920, to the effect
that: — „In the event of the Baltic, the Caucasian States, and Albania
being admitted to the League, the Assembly requests that they should
take the necessary measures to enforce the principles of the minorites’
treaties, and that they should arrange with the Council the details
required to carry this object into effect." Thereupon, the President
of the Latvian Republic stated in the cession of the Constituent
Assembly of the 23rd September, 1921, that Latvia, by her admission to
the League of Nations, had acquired certain rights and also certain
responsibilities. „It is our duty", said the President, „to adheer strictly,
to International laws and customs." It is certainly true that the
Latvian and Estonian governments have already incorporated some of
the principles of the minorities’ rigths into their constitution, but it is
rather unfortunate that they are often not observed!"’’) The best of laws
and the loftiest principles are worthless if not put into practice. From
centuries past, minorities have been wronged and outraged by
tyrannical majorities. The world sighs. for peace, but no peace is
possible until the rights of minorities become a( living force and an article
of political faith carried out into aqtual practice by all the nations of
the world. IS11 I
*) Vide Wolzendorff: - „Recht der nationalen Minderheiten und der
National-kataster", Berlin 1921. ^
**) Vide Chapter VI.
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