Earnest advocates of that principle may dissent entirely from Viscount Grey's statement in his pamphlet, published about the time when the debate took place, that "those States that have power must be ready to use all the force, economic, military or naval, that they possess." "_Anything less than this is of no value._" They may hold, on the contrary, that a League might be of great value without any agreement binding certain of its members to employ--which implies an obligation to maintain--naval and military forces and armaments at the bidding of the League Council on a scale and in the manner which would either be settled from time to time by representatives of other nations or be the subject of some preliminary agreement.

Settling the terms of such an agreement might involve serious disputes and delay the establishment of the League indefinitely.

The moral influence due to the existence of a League embracing all nations which regard war as an evil to be stopped if possible, would be great.

A Declaration of Faith, in which those who hold a common belief give expression to it, has its effect.

An agreement between nations or individuals, even where there is no legal sanction, would be regarded as something that they will try to carry out.