Evening star., 1938-06-12
HI. M. S. Inglorious.

Since the Spanish civil war started two
years ago. there have been attacks on
sixty-three British ships. Twenty-eight
or thirty British seamen have been killed
and f1fty-odd injured. Four merchant
men flying the Union Jack were sent to
Davy Jones locker this week by insurgent
bombing planes OF Mediterranean ports.
Aircraft of German or Italian origin,
presumably manned by Nazi or Fascist
volunteers" did the sinking, in the
course of which several French treighters
also were destroyed.
The British government and public are
shocked by General frances systematic
contempt for britannia's maritime rights
and majestic sea power, but beyond ex-
ploring suitable means" of retaliation,
Prime Minister Chamberlain and Wis.,
count Halifax seem welded to policy of
mastery inactivity. 1t is the latest mani
festation of Downing Streets passion for
realism at any price, even at the cost Of
unchecked contempt for Britons' proud
est radition-their readiness and ability
to command respect for their flag on the
high seas.
In the early months of the World
War-at the time of the British Navy's
arrogant interference with the neutral
rights of American shipping-his maj
esty's government on more than one
critical occasion seemed prepared to risk
war even with an ardently lro-ally
United States to sustain the right of
search and seizure of vessels suspected of
carrying contraband, directly or indi-
rectly, to the Central Powers. 1t is in
distinctly minor key that the British lion
now roars, in the face of provocations
which are vastly more of challenge to
his pride, prestige and prerogatives than
was this country's irsistence a quarter of
a century ago upon the legitimate rights
of a non -belligerent.
The reason the lion is purring, instead
Of roaring, against Spanish insurgent
piracy is that Chamberlain Halifax real
ism calls for abstention from anything
capable of rubbing the fur of the die
tatorships the wrong way-the Franco as
we'll as the Hitler and Mussolini die
tatorships. Humiliating as it is for any
British government to take it on the chin
as complacently as the prime minister
and his foreign secretary are accepting
the successive uppercuts Franco is de-
family landing there, they justify a
policy of caution, with respect to re-
prisals, on the ground that Great Britain
must refrain from any measures which
might provoke others than the rebel gen.
eralissimo, and thus "aggravate the Sit
uation." This, of course. is the diplo-
matte way of saying that if John Bull
were to stand up for his rights in the way
he used to do before realism ruled the
waves, Britain might find herself at war
with Germany or Italy, or both.
On the more practical side, the Cham
berlainites, with ties deeply rooted in
"the City," where British invest nents in
Spanish copper, iron, mercury, pyrite and
oeiloi iiAiicIdl pIoptTtleS are vast, are
loath to incur the enmity of a regime
which may some day be in position to
parcel out vital economic rights or to de-
stroy those now enjoyed by British sub
jects To paraphrase famous aphorism,
this may be peace, but it is not magnifi-
cent-for proud nation, with battle
ships named Renown Glorio,,s Furious
Implacable, Dreadnaught and Nelson.