The Omaha guide., 1935-09-14

Third, that the slave trade is
practiced even now.
Fourth, that the Ethiopian govern
ment participates in slave trade,
either accepting slaves in payment
OF taxes or by permitting the de-
tachments OF regular troops to cap
ture slaves.
Fifth, that along side slavery there
exists the gabbar system. under
which subjected populations are re-
duced to a real servile state.
Sixth, that the Ethiopian govern
ment has not taken any account Of
its obligations assumed under the
League and the recommendations
made to her by a commission or ex-
perts on slavery.
As opposed to these charges of
Italy, there are the current reports
Of American and British newspaper
correspondents in Ethiopia who have
described the nnocuous form Of
slavery exixsting there and the
umperor's efforts to stamp it out.
These newspaper correspondents
agree that as rapidly as possible,
without economic embarrassment to
themselves, Ethiopian slaves are be-
ing freed, and that responsibility
for whatever is left of the slave
trade attaches to Arabian slave
traders, not the Ethiopians.
Barber declares that the British
are the only e who have aided the
Philippians IN the breaking up Of the
slave trade cross the Red sea
routes. Agan Barber writes: "a
Harriet Beetcher Stowe would have
extreme difficulty in writing an
Uncle Toms Cabin about slavery
in Ethiopia" The children Of slaves
are automatically freed by law.
Italy defines Ethiopian slavery
as an offense to civilization, al
though within the last 100 years, no
one would have so defined slavery in
Italian, British, French and Ameri-
can possessions. When Rome was
most civilized, the English were
bought and sold in the Roman slave
marts.
fortunes Versus Lynchings
Baron Aloisi also told Of inhuman
prison conditions in Ethiopia and
cruel practices of torture, as I'M
fitting Ethiopia for League member
ship. But Ethiopia has no prison
practices more brutal than those
imposed upon American Negroes in
prison camps III the southern states,
and there is no lynching of innocent
citizens or foreigners IN Ethiopia.
The Italian representative at
Geneva made his denunciation of
the Ethiopian government and of
the Ethiopian people the basis for a
demand that Ethiopia be expelled
from the League. He acclaimed that
Italy would refuse to sit further
with Ethiopia as an equal.
To press correspondents, he made
it clear that Ethiopia must either
be expelled from the League or
italy.
On Thursday, when Prof. CASTOR
Jeze Of the French Sorbonne, arose
to reply to the Italian charges, on
behalf Of Ethiopia, the Italian baron
refused to listen, claiming that the
Ethiopian representative, in the ex-
ceptions taken to the Italian
charges, was insulting the italian
government. Jeze's language was
much less strong than that Of the
italian used in condemning Ethiopia,
but his speech indicated that
Ethiopia's case is in competent
hands and that Italy has little
chance of diverting world attention
from her destructive military
policies by assembling her scholars
to oconjure horrible pictures of
Ethiopia. Rising to reply to the
Italians, the French jurist stated in
part:
"A grave peril threatens the peace
Of the world! Time presses. This
is no moment for dilatory measures.
The question is whether in a few
days time a war Of determination
will be under way. That s the point
upon which the council must at once
deliberate.
Haste Necessary
There is no question of once more
embarking on a dilatory procedure,
intended to take time only, the eff
feet of which would be to give the
Italian government the possibility Of
choosing the most favorable moment
! for letting loose the war it seems for
long months past to be preparing,
and thus place the council in the
presence of an accomplished fact"
Ethiopia pledged its loyal coopera-
ton to any procedure for concilia-
ton, but wished, Jeze said, ito de-
nounce its ~adversary's
(as herein chronicled). By publica-
ton Of a memorandum and docu-
ment Italy wishes to produce the ef-