Evening star., 1935-11-03
RY FRANK II. SIMONDS.


Il ago-confirmed by the later
remarks of Stanley Baldwin and An
thony Eden and re-emphasized by
those of Winston Churchill-have
been slow in attracting attention on
this side of the Atlantic. What he
said was plain enough-it amounted
to a promise that if with the help of
Geneva England couldn't choke II
Duce into submission by economic
sanctions it would not pull the gun
of naval blockade on him without
French backing.
The danger of war was not wholly
eliminated by this speech. MuSsolini
might we'll find in the end that he
could not endure strangulation and
pull a gun at the same time. But
the chances were just about 10 to l
that the strangulation process could
not be made to work. The United
States, Germany and Japan were not
in the League. Austria, Hungary and
: Albania were not having any part IN
the show. and Switzerland was hesl-
tant and her ultimate decision doubt
full. In South America, too, where
there were numerically large and
politically important Italian colonies
in various countries. notably IN the
Argentine. enthusiasm for the pre-
scriptions of Geneva was slngularly
lacking. To get 50-odd nations 10
give even lip service to economic sane
tions is something. But beyond that
lies the test of application of these
sanctions.
What would happen when the AS
sembly reconvened on October 81 was
thus open to conjecture. But the real
meaning of the Hoare speech was
that consideration of French policy
weighed heavily on the British. with
utmost reluctance Laval had oeen
dragged after young Anthony Eden IN
what had become for the latter holy
war against Mussolini. The French
orime minister was always aware that
Mussolini would fight rather than quit
and always fearful that Eden's head
g long zeal would precipitate fight
Chance for Horse Trading.
Now there was chance to start
= horse-trading all over again. WINE
the League rested from its labors, old
fashioned diplomacy would take up
the task in the customary tashlon'
There was only one question 10 oe
disposed of. How much OF the SKIN OF
the Lion of Judah would Great
Britain stand for letting the dictator
of Italy have? If it were small, then
Mussolini would not play. And II II
were considerable then the British
-. Tories would be disclosed as having
let Geneva down badly. :.
The American audience should
watch this process of bargain and
barter closely during the next lew
weeks. always keeping in mind the
essential fact that Ethiopia came to
Geneva with clean hands and ooVi-
4. ously in desperate peril The League
undertook to protect the African state
by trying first to halt Mussolinis en-
terprise altogether and then to MAKE
him abandon it. If, presently, there
emerges a settlement by the terms
- of which Halle classics kingdom
escapes with its life but has to part
with an arm or leg, then there
will be crowded an ultimate example
of the efficacy of the collective system
in protecting a small nation from the
greed of great power.
From the start to the finish OF the
World War every non-German was
agreed that the first requisite OF
lust treaty of peace was the reStora-
ton of Belgium intact. When the Ger
mans, in their days of prosperity IN
battle, talked gravely of frontier rectl-
fications, strategic notifications OF
the boundaries and the like they sim
ply awakened profound resentment all
over the world. And Belgium was Ger
tainly no more victim OF unprovoked
attack than is Ethiopia.
Nevertheless here is the French
premier weaving his way in and out
of the situation, carrying a map on
which are set down the cities and
provinces which he proposes shall be
turned over to Mussolini as price to
buy his abandonment Of the cam
paign. Ethiopia is precisely in the
situation of man who Is being as
saulted and robbed and the Laval
proposal amounted to trying to de-
eide Just how much of beating and
how complete a robbing the victim
must undergo to satisfy the aSsailant.
Shall it be all of the Tgre Province,
with Ogaden and AuSSa thrown In
for good measure? Shall it be a
strip of territory connecting Somali-
land and Eritrea? And then, how
many victories" does Mussoliui have
to have to meet his prestige require
ments?
Peace System Endangered.
But If the League of Nations au-
thorizes any bargain of this sort,
agrees that Ethiopia shall be made
to cede territory and populations, then
It will compound felony and re-
ward the perpetrator Of deed which
it has solemnly pronounced to be a
crime. If Halle SelaSsie has to sub
init to being beaten almost to pulp
and then to be stripped to the frontier
of nudism, who is going to believe in
the efficiency of the collective system
any longer, now that it has failed
not cnly to prevent war but to pro-
tect the innocent victim of war?
The Japanese got all OF Manchuria,
the Italians may not get all of Ethi-
opia this time, but the mission Of the
League is to prevent the authors of
just such enterprises as the Nam
churian or the Ethiopian from bring
ing home any bacon whatsoever from
such raids. If you pin on the wall a
map showing Ethiopia as it was before
Mussolini began and then mark on it
what remains of Ethiopia when peace
Is made between Rome and Adds
Ababa, there's the whole story of the
success or failure Of Geneva in this
episode.
All this passing of resolutions, de-
vising of sanctions, invention of eco
nomic thumbscrews and financial
boots" amount to nothing unless the
result of this activity is the salvage