Evening star., 1934-09-23
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whose sovereignty hitherto has been
left unimpaired will quietly agree to
limit their freedom of movement
under clauses rejected in 1919, when
it was proposed that they should be
inserted in the Leagues covenant.
Therefore, the obvious inference is
that the Polish government and pos
sibly other governments intend to
make use Of their refusal so as to de-
nounce commitments derogatory to
the rule of the equality Of all nations.
Col. Beck, the Polish foreign min
lister, has put forward his proposal on
the pretext that once Soviet Russia
has become a member of the League
of Nations-a development which,
notwithstanding the obstacles still to
be overcome, appears to be near at
hand-the Moscow government would
be authorized, on the basis of existing
treaties, to declare that the fate of
the minoritieS in Poland (the White
Russians, for instance are its own
concern and that on that account it
could interfere with the domestic af-
fairs Of the Polish government.
Ridiculous Situation.
Thus ridiculous and intolerable
situation would be created. Ridicu-
lous because, owing to her record of
terrorism. Russia is not qualified to
defend oppressed groups in her neigh
bOrs' territories. Intolerable because
Poland, which claims to play the part
of the major Christian Slav nation by
the side of atheiStic Russia, cannot
agree TO be reduced, in relation to her,
to a position of aioject lnferiority.
Such is the line of reasoning adopted
in Warsaw. 1t must be admitted that
| the argument is cogent one It
might easily be pushed much farther
and applied to other states as well as
Russia. Germany, it is true, broke
with the League II months ago, and
as a result gave up her right to exploit
/ the minority treaties to her own ad-
vantage. But in the Spring and Sum-
mer of 1888 she had already meted out
to the Jews the most cruel treatment
that could be imagined. Moreover, al
though she also was bound by the mi
nority clauses for that part Of Upper
Silesia allocated TO her, she had quietly
turned those pledges into a farce.
However. did any delegate then rise in
the Council or in the Assembly to point
out that the Hitlerian regime behaved
in manner unworthy of all standards
of civilization, that it infringed fas
regards German Upper SilesiaI upon
an international convention and that
in those circumstances, it had better
refrain from lodging complaints or
passing judgments about the alleged
misdolngs Of other people? No.
Power of Italy.
Moreover, can it be said that Fascist
Italy, which for years has endeavored
to suppress all vestiges of German
civilization in Southern Tyrol, going
even to the length of ordering that
German names should be deleted in
the churchyards is morally in position
to teach liberalism and toleration to
the new states and to call them to Or
der? AS matter of fact, such has
been the example set by the two great
dictatorlal nations of Europe that in
Cui rent placIICe' IL Hot III tHeofy, Lne
authority of the Geneva jurisdiction
has been set at naught.
But the Polish government has been
very careful not to formulate It's thesis
in such general terms. Its purpose is
to recuperate its sovereignty, to do
away with the treaty of 1919 which
it had to sign under compulsion at
the same time as the Treaty of Yer
SailleS which brought about its reSur-