Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1933-10-12
INTERNATIONAL
NEWS REVIEW
Continued from Page II

cations along the German borders: the
United States is spending millions and
millions on a naval increase which
arouses distrust elsewhere; Japan an
nounces that the American example
makes imitation unavoidable; Austria
has taken steps to enlarge it's army;
from CzechO-Slovakia the cry for
adequate ornaments" is heard, and
at a conference of the conservative
party OF Great Britain Lord Lloyd as
serts that his country would be fool
lsh for disarming while everybody
else is arming,' to which REMARK
Winston Churchill adds the observa-
ton that "the world situation grad
ually has become and is becoming
darker with every year"
In such an atmosphere it is little
wonder that the League of Nations
assembly has been unable to proceed.
One receives the impression that the
diplomats responsible for the manage
ment of League affairs have neglected
to provide concrete basis for dis
cussion, and that seemingly applies,
also, to that sOrry-looking child of
the League, the international disarm-
ament conference.
Hitler is Cause.
! Nearly all comments agree on Adolf
Hitler, Germany's chancellor, as the
original cause of all the confusion and
the hOpelessness. Although this may
| be exaggerated, there can be no doubt
that the ascent of Hitler has made
the outlook materially worse than it
was.
tude of Germany to the question of
disarmament: Berlin wants, now as
before, an army equal in strength
to those of other great powers. If
this cannot be granted, because it
would seriously invalidate the YER
sailles peace treaty, Germany will in
sist that other nations disarm down
to her own level.
That's the crux of the situation.
So far, none has yielded. The for
mer Entente powers insist that Ger
man ornaments must not be in
creased, and they betray great deal
of unwillingness to decrease their
own. They have advanced plan ac-
cording to which no disarmament is
to be effected for a period of four
years, but Germany has unofficially
rejected that.
Just now there is some talk of hav-
ing the United States mediate be-
tween the German and the French
viewpoints, the conflict between which
is the outstanding cause for most of
the lack of real activity.
Anti.War Pact.
In the meantime Viscount Kikujiro
Ishii, famous Japanese statesman,
launches the suggestion that what
ever else may take place in Europe.
peace should be firmly established be-
tween the United States and the Nip
ponese empire; to accomplish this,
Ishii suggests the conclusion of
Japanese-American. arbitration and
anti-war treaty, but in so doing faces
the very stern opposition of Sadao
Araki, japanese war minister, and
head of the militaristic party of his
country. Ishii is supported by the
new foreign minister in Toxic, Koki
Hirota, warmly DESTROYS of friendship
with the United States, Russia and
China, but it is still question wheth-
err he or Araki will prove the strong
est in the long run.
U. s. and Russia.
Although the American Legion and
the American Federation of Labor,
both in national conventions as
sembled, have protested vociferously
against any plan to effect American
recognition of the Soviet Russian gov
eminent, Washington is studying that
problem with increasing interest.
Recognition is certain to result in
very considerable increase of Amer
lean foreign trade, and there is now
general disposition to feel that the
traditional objections no longer have
any real force; in the first place,
Russia-not now the only power to
neglect payments of debts to the
United States!-is willing, when re-
cognized, to discuss the debt situa-
ton; in the second place. there has
never been any danger that Russian
communistic propaganda would ever
be powerful enough to overthrow the
American government"-and it is
agreed that there is now less danger
than ever since the idea of world
revolution" has been scrapped in Mos
COW; finally, influential persons in
Washington seem to feel it a bit
humiliating that one of the greatest
powers on earth should be so deadly
scared of Russia that it is almost the
only nation which to date has refused
to recognize a government, admittedly
as stable and enduring as are the
governments of other countries.
Free Press Killed.
Hitler, the bogeyman of Europe.
continues to govern his own nation in
such way as to keep it's nerves con-
tinually on edge. His latest decree
spells doom to the freedom of the
German press and makes 1t clear that
editors and all other journalists are
now to be considered state officials.
If they are shown guilty of what may,
e1aStica1ly he characterized as "trea-