Evening star., 1924-12-07
The Story the Week Has Told

to the protocol establishing the Court
of international Justice. with the
reservations contrived by Mr. Hughes
to keep US clear OF league taint is
recommended But "the country is
not disposed to become a member of
the League of Nations"
II. The President has at heart
supplementing of the Washington
naval treaty by agreements to limit
or eliminate enginery of war not
affected by that treaty. All in due
| time, perhaps, our Government will
! invite the powers TO another confer
ence to that end. But it behooves to
await the outcome of the project of a
| disarmament conference under league
auspices (as contemplated by the
league "protocal of arbitration and
security"). II should not WISH" says
the President, ito have (American)
representatives attend a conference
which would contemplate commit
ments opposed to the freedom of ac-
tion we desire to maintain unimpaired
with respect to our purely domestic
policies" (the President is glancing at
the famous amendment to the protocol
adopted at the urgency of Japan.
But the President Is careful to add ::
while we must safeguard our liberty
to deal according to our own judg-
must look with great sympathy upon
the examination of the subject OF the
outlawry of war"
IL. The President recommends ex-
tension of the life Of the Foreign Debt
Commission. About $4,000, 100000 is
owing us from abroad. Great Britain,
Finland. Hungary. Lithuania and
Poland have negotiated settlements
covering about five billions. Our other
debtors should follow suit.
ItaIy.-On November &c an anti Fas-
cist newspaper started something
by introducing as evidence for the
defence in a libel case brought by
Gen. Ita1o Balbo, chief
of the Fascista militia, a letter dated
August, 1923, addressed by Gen.
Balbo to the head of the Fascist
militia of Bologna, and directing the
latter to "beat up certain commun-
lists of Bologna, who. charged with
numbering some Fascist, had been ac-
quilted by jury. Beat them up"
commanded the general, without ex
cess. but systematically, till they
make up their minds to leave the
province Show this letter to the
prefect of Bologna and tell him 1
have sufficient reasons for giving
these instructions. The police will
do well to arrest these desperadoes
once a week and the prefect will
do well to let the Kings prosecutor
understand that we do not wish any
prosecutions for such beatings-up. If
/ write you this from Rome 1t Is be-
cause I know what I am saying"
Gen. Balbo admitted to the court
his authorship of the letter, and
thereupon, to relieve the govern
ment and the Fascist directorate of
embarrassment, rendered his resig-
nation as commander-in-c chief of the
militia. The resignation was perforce
accepted, though with handsome ac-
acknowledgement of Balbos services
OF course, tampering with servants of
the law could not openly be con-
doned. But the thing did not end
there. Alleged copies of other let
ters of similar character, from
Fascist leaders to their subordinates
have since been published, the orders
purporting to derive from Mussolini.
But no direct evidence has been pro-
duced that Mussolini personally or
dered such tampering with the laws
servants.
1t might go hard with Mussolini
were he convicted of such petty Of
Tending. He does not deny, of course.
the general charge of having used
high handed and extra-legal methods
which is quite different thing.
His answer very plausible one
is that by such methods he saved