The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1936-01-02
NATIONAL AFFAIRS
BY FRANK P. LITSCHERT

t this writing the European mud
seems to have become more of
die than ever. The big talk about
copean sanctions seems to have
porated. Having won an election on
plying. sanctions" to Italy the Tory
y over there seemed to turn about
and with Premier Laval, of
nee, to attempt to make peace with
!ssolini by offering to permit him to
p himself to Ethiopian territory.
cutlery from other nations, espec-
ly the small ones in the League, was
loud and long that Mr.. Hoare, who
proposed the plan, resigned as
'cretary of State for Foreign Affairs
Great Britain. Mr.. Laval would have
en- forced to resign too, it is said,
re it not for the acute crisis in
ance over domestic affairs.
**#
Just what was back of it all remains
mystery. Perhaps all of the truth
i'll never be told. The most plausible
DRY now going around is that Musso-
nj refused to be stopped by the threat
sanctions, and that NJ. Laval in
)rmed the British government that an
pplication of an oil embargo on Italy
leant war with the Italian dictator.
rance, it was added, could not guar
!ntee Great Britain that her people
1ould assist in fight against Italy to
help England and Ethiopia. Germany
vas regarded as an uncertain quantity
md the only small nation which could
De depended on was Jugo-Slavia which
has time-honored grudge against the
Italians.
Now, while the British felt that they
could win war against Italy in the
long run, they are said to have realized
that Mussolini's air fleet and subma-
rines could do a lot of immediate dam
age and they shuddered at what might
happen in the near future. In addition,
war between the two European powers
would give Japan an excellent chance
to ego ahead" in China, which is
something which the British do not
relish. So, although applying sanctions
was an excellent campaign slogan, it
wasn't so good as a promoter of
peace. In fact, it spelled war instead
of peace. So the impassioned words
uttered before the election had to
give way to cold, implacable facts
after the government had won at the
ballot box. Great scorn has been cast
at the British Tory Party for disre-
garding it's prediction pledges but
as we Americans well know, political
platforms and prediction pledges
often prove to have been written by
forgotten man."
Now under the League peace the
DRY it is necessary and proper to APP
ply sanctions to Italy to stop the
Ethiopian war. Yet as a matter Of
fact, the application of sanctions does
not mean less warfare but more of it.
Sanctions mean that the scrap be-
tween a southern European power
and an insignificant African empire
may spread all over the former con-
tinent. So League sanctions after all,
as it may now be realized, can mean
war instead of peace and they gener-
ally will mean just that, because
when a proud nation like Italy makes
up it's mind to fight it is apt to go to
the end of the road regardless of CO.
ercion or anything else. The intake
which our theoretical International
lists have been making, and still make,
is to believe that League sanctions will
enforce peace. Let them now realize
that such sanctions are very apt to
mean war and more war.
49,
The criticism of the International
lists, and of the smaller nations of the
League against British policy has been
so vociferous that the British seem
now to be trying to do something to
counterfeit it. Sir Anthony Eden has
been chosen in place of Mr.. Hoare and
Sir Anthony is said to be firm oppo-
nent of Italian policy and strong
supporter of the League. 1t is limited
then that Italy may get some sanctions
after all. Well, when the indignations
dies down, we shall see what we shall
see. And let US fervently hope that
what Uncle Sam sees will be from this
side of the Atlantic only.