Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1938-12-15
International
News Review
BY GEoRG sTRANDvOLD

of the Union of South Africa, has for
some weeks been travelling through
Europe and has had unusual oppor-
tunities of discussing the general in
ternational situation with some of
the leading men who-create it. Hav-
ing made his round, Mr.. Prov on
his way back to Africa stopped over
in London to tell the press that he
was absolutely convinced that unless
things changed very drastically with
in the next two months, Europe would
have new war on its hands in the
spring of 1889. The depressing thing
about this statement is that it is not
very far from what now appears to
be the actual truth, for, surely, ever
lasting conflicts between nations,
coupled with an ever increasing in
classification of ornaments, do not
make for peace.
German Mcneil.
It may be that there will not be
any serious collision between Ger
many and Lithuania, but there is
material for one Last Sunday the
voters of the city of Memel and its
immediate vicinity elected a new par
lament, and out of the 20 members
chosen, 26 or 81 were Germans. This
really amounts to plebiscite in favor
of a return to Germany, but the
Lithuanian government instantly in
formed Berlin that there can not be
any talk of return, and Great Brit
ain and France have been appealed
to, to reinforce that declaration.
Undoubtedly, Germany has strong
claims here-far stronger than in con-
nection with Austria and Czecho-
slovakia-for Memel is essentially a
German city, and the district is
equally German. AS a result of the
world war, Memel was taken away
from Germany in 1919 and handed
over to Lithuania, the purpose of the
entire transaction being, to give that
country an outlet to the sea.
New Treaty.
In the meantime, Joachim Won Rib
bentrop, Germany's foreign minister,
has been in Paris where he and his
French colleague, Georges Bonnet,
signed a treaty to the effect that
the Franco-German frontiers are to
remain undisturbed, and that no new
problems arising between the two
countries can be solved by resorting
to arms.
1t is very moving, very beautiful
sentiment which here has found its
expression, but in view of the fate
which has befallen nearly all inter-
national agreements within the last
few years, it cannot be looked at with
100 per cent optimism The French
themselves are not particularly en-
thusiastic about it, nor are the Ger
mans, for Won Ribbentrop failed to
obtain definite pledge that France
would denounce its alliance with
Soviet Russia and also was unsuc-
cessful in eliciting from Bonnet a
statement to the effect that France
would not oppose the return of the
war-lost overseas colonies to Ger
many.
Colonial Issue.
If anything, France is more deter
mined than ever to resist the return
of the colonies, for France and Great
Britain are working hand in hand,
and at just about the moment when
Won Ribbentrop and Bonnet appended
their signatures to Europe's newest
treaty, the British House of Com
mons emphatically declared that there
is no prospect of Great Britain re-
storing the colonies to Hitler's Ger
many.
Confidence.
For the moment, the disturbed in
ternal condition of France has ended
by the Chamber of Deputies handing
to Premier Edouard Daladier a pretty
substantial vote of confidence which
means that all the, more or less auto
cratic, acts of Daladier have been
approved, including his iron-fisted
smashing up of the threatening gen.
eral strike couple of weeks ago.
The vote also means that the premier
can 60 ahead carrying out his plans
of increasing French ornaments, add
ing to the tax burdens of the people