Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-09-05
against the Spanish claim than any

against the Spanish claim than any
others.
Despite the ties Of friendship which
bound them so close to Spain emo
tionally, they put the interests of the
league-so gravely threatened by this
new crisis-above allegiance to any
individual state. The mild-eyed dele.
gate of Spain. Senior Palacios. touched
his beard with nervous fingers as he
| Toward the end he made little geS
ture with his long white hands as
though to say. II hear my sentence
l have nothing more to say"
The commission had to draw up its
report to the council. Lord Cecil and
others made various amendments and
there was a long argument. lasting
two hours. over verbal niceties. It
was only on Friday morning that the
report was finally adopted and sent
up to- the council, who must now sub
nit it to the assembly of the league.
Before the completion of the report a
significant thing happened which
caused a sensation. 1t was when the
full council sat for the first time
They were waiting for this report
from their commission Their own
fate and future were bound up with
it. There would be no entry of Ger.
many. no peaceful future of this SEES
sion of the league, if that commission
failed to reach an agreement
Corridors Were Crowded.
The corridors were crowded with
delegates awaiting the arrival of the
council members. They all made
way and bowed to Sir Austen Cham
berlain, foreign secretary of Great
l. III Cd
visers. His long, lean face with its
raking jaw and steel blue eyes and
that monocle, which puts the last
touch to his astounding likeness to
his famous father. was utterly impas-
sive. But behind that mask as
know is a mind desperately nervous
lest all his hopes for the pact of Lo-
carno and peace for Europe should be
wrecked by some sudden explosion of
national turbulence. He Will not feel
quite safe until Germany has actually
taken her seat.
Then BRAND came and there was
another stir among all this crowd OF
us at the sight of that shabby
shambling figure with tousled haIr
and tired eyes, who has come from a
series of crises in France to put the
corner stone to his foreign policy by
Germany's ratification of the LocarnC
pact. The other members of the coun
Gil arrived All of them except one
! l heard whispering Where is
SPAIN" None Of us could see Palacios
with his little beard and mild eyes
| We trooped into the council hall
Where Is Spain?" came the whispers
again.
| Members of the council took their
seats There was another empty
! chair besides that of Brazil. Spair
had not taken her seat. Spain had
absented herself from all further in
| terest in the League of Nations unless
she responds to eloquent appeals from
all her friends. Lord Cecil for Grea,
! Britain expressed the opinion of al
his foreign colleagues when he drew
up a resolution begging the Spanish
, government to take account of all the
| efforts and good will shown by the
council to satisfy Spanish wishes
within the limits of their duty to the
| league.
Spain May Not Reply.
Personally, l doubt whether Spain
will respond to this appeal. She has
gone too far in arousing the pride anG
passion of her own people. Her own
loss will be great She has cut her
self off as one of the counsellors and
arbitrators of world reconstruction
BY accepting a temperament seat
she would have been sure of re-elec.
ton and could have taken her right.
1ful place among the~zTeat powers,