Evening star., 1931-04-12
SPIRIT OF FAIR PLAY
PASSING In EUROPE
Peace OF Old World in Grave Danger,
Declares Former Premier
OF France.

clap Of thunder. We must recognize
frankly that our French diplomats have
| been duped and played with. An ac-
cord was prepared in secret. This pro-
tocol appeared abruptly during the sit
ting Of the Leagues commission. Ar
ticle 2 OF the agreement, establishing be-
tween Austria and Germany concord
ant customs law and customs tariff" q"
was a great blow for those-amon2
whom I sm-who advocated the aboli-
ticn OF secret diplomacy.
what deception for those who,
smsrting under outrageous treatment,
asked for the institution OF a loyal pol
icy Of trust between France and Ger
many Instantly whatever possibility
there was of Frsnco-German rapproche-
ment. nurtured for years by the efforts
OF pace lovers, has disappeared What
can we say TO these who say to us, IF
you had not prematurely evacuated the
Rhlneland. Germany would not have
been able to prepare this customs ac-
cord. which is the first and essential act
leading 10 anschluss.''
Fears More BIoOdshed.
But at least let us avoid euuivocal
formulas. More than the proposed
treaty itself, I condemn its first article
which presents the Austro- German ac-
cord as marking the beginning of a
new solution to the economic problem
by means of regional agreements" No,
Thousand times no! Let them tell us
the truth, even though it is dangerous
We only too easily perceived in this
contract the old zollverein, which in
earlier days established German unity.
based on Prussia, and which was the
cause Of so much bloodshed.
II, as eX-Chancellor Renner said, il
was truly their purpose to defend Eu-
rope against the dangers threatening it.
and In particular against the Russian
peril, that would be an excellent rea-
son why European solidarity should not
have been rent asunder at the very
moment BRAND was struggling to con-
Solidate 1t. Our French commission for
the European customs union, under the
presidency of lie Troquer. has Just OBJ
served with a singular force that the
excuse invoked by the contractantS is
in admissible, since there already ex-
lists a project for a European union.
l cite the commissions text, for 1 think
1t essential: 1T appears contrary to
the spirit and the letter OF the prin-
ciples in force which guide the COM
mission in studying tie proposed Eu-
ropean union that two Of m4ny Euro
pean states, members of this very COM
mission, should establish an economic
or customs accord, inform other states
only when such accords are accom-
plished in fact and without having en-
gagged in any preliminary negotiations"
Fsvors League Action.
Such is the. observation OF loyalty
and good sense. There is still another
argument against accord II, indeed,
it had been a question of regional
agreement in accordance with the new
spirit, why should there have been hes
itation about submitting it to the
League Of Nations? Why not have
brought it to the attention Of the states
through diplomatic channels, as seems
to hare been Austria's desire from the
start?
Speaking before the House of Com
mons, Arthur Henderson commented
opportunely upon this lack OF interna-
tional fair play. He maintained the
point OF view Of true peace lovers in his
announcement that an appeal probably
would be made to permanent inter
national court CT justice To all ttose
who love peace we should like to give
warning Of the gravity OF this conflict
between those ideas on which we are
trying to build a new order and the
political policies OF pTe-war days. II
this conflict is not checked all pscihst
PAO.IaSoHud' III FIdlICS dL 4edSt, VIII
become impossible.
This is tee difficult situation in which
BRAND found himself recently before
the Senate. 1t even may be true that
the AuStro-GeTman accord robbed him
OF presidency OF the French Republic.
Nationalists are eXulting everywhere.
The groups Of the Left in the French
Chsmber are finding themselves agreed
as to the common danger. The oCen
policy OF peace was never more seri-
ously threatened by the attacks Of S.
cret diplomacy. Unless great care IS
taken, one will destroy the other. Let
all pacifsts bewarei
fCopvrfsnt 1917