Evening star., 1935-09-15
The Peril in Africa.

Union of South Africa to bare before
the League of Nations Assembly at
Geneva the peril that turks for the
white masters of Africa-Great Britain.
France, Portugal, Spain, Belgium and
Italy hersef-in the war which Musso-
lini is determined to wage against
Ethiopia. The population of the appro-
priately designated Dark Continent"
as all the world knows, Is overwhelming
ly black. The spokesman of the Cape
town government, which rules over a
population consisting of some two mill
lion Europeans and seven million ma
tives of mixed colored races warned the
League bluntly that Africa may arise
and overthrow" in the event of an Italo-
Ethiopian war.
He declared that all the people Of his
country, both black and white, view with
deep concern and with the anxiety born
of the instructive knowledge Of con-
sequences the slow but apparently re-
lentless march Of the disease Of war
into our continent" Then he spoke
these ominous words: Let 1t not be
forgotten that the long memory of black
Africa never forgets and never forgives
injury and injustice" The delegate in
timated that the South African Unions
emotions are so stirred by the implica-
tions of Italy's threat to the peace Of
Africa that it might withdraw from
Geneva if the League proves incapable
of restraining the Fascist legions from
launching a campaign Of colonial con-
quest.
The danger inherent in Italian ag-
gression against the one remaining in
dependent black realm in Africa Is
double-edged. If Ethiopia turns out to
be the helpless victim Of Mussolini's lust
for imperial glory. the sympathy Of
native peoples throughout the continent
will be aroused to an extent that might
incite them to rise against each and
every European power that now essays
dominion over black territory. No less
a disturbing possibility is conjured up
by the remote chance that Ethiopia,
alone or with native support from other
quarters-such as she is already receive
ing from even Italian Somaliland-might
defeat Italy, as she did in 1896, or at
least make the campaign so costly for
the invader that it would be abandoned.
Black Africa would in that event be in
the position Of having visited humili-
ating reverse upon a white nation. The
inevitable repercussion would be a con-
viction that what native power and
patriotism had accomplished against
Italy could be accomplished against
other European "oppressors." The con-
sequence could easily be q wholesale
"war of liberation" waged in a spirit
of fanatical desperation and barbarism
dreadful to contemplate. 1t is at such
a contingency that South Africa's rep
resentative at Geneva plainly hinted.
Nor might rising tide Of color" con-
fine itself to drenching merely Africa
in blood. War in Africa might be the
signal for men of non-white races
throughout Asia, particularly in the i'm
mense British dominions. long ripe for
revolt, to assert themselves. Observers
Of conditions in the Orient periodically
picture Japan as eager to lead the col
ored peoples of the Eastern Hemisphere
in holy" struggle for racial suprem-
acy. In the course of Italy's quarrel
with Halle Selassie it has more than
once been suggested that the Japanese
were fishing in the troubled Ethiopian
waters.
1t seems incredible that Mussolini can
be blind to the vast and terrifying pos
sibilities for evil that lie dormant in in
flaming the passions Of black Africa.