Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1939-05-18
International
News Review
BY GEORG STRANDvOLD

ooiiiC IliIic ago IL was QeC1QeQ &c
arrange meeting of the League OF
Nations Council for May Is, but in
view of the fact that important in
ternational negotiations were in pro-
gress, the Soviet government asked
for postponement until May %, and
the result is that the Council will
gather next Monday. For which par
ticular purpose the meeting will be
held is not known, but it may be
taken for granted in advance that il
will make no far-reaching decision
of any kind. For to state of do
nothingness the League Assembly and
its Council have been reduced. Every
time a matter of really supreme sig
nificance has come up, the League has
been supremacy inactive That is not
due to the fact that the basic idea
of such world organization is wrong;
to the contrary, it is one of the sound
est plans ever evolved in human
brains, but the trouble is that some
of those powers which determine the
current of events either did not join
the League or, if joining, were not
vitality interested in its tasks; selfish
ness remained-and still remains-the
very core of international politics.
War or Peace?
Just now should be favorable time
for the League Council to gather, for
there is lull in the development of
affairs which recently have kept the
world on edge And here, by the way,
is a funny thing: Persons coming
from Europe or writing letters from
over there report that they sense no
strong fear of war, and that they are
surprised to be told that the only
real war filters seem to exist in the
United States; they describe them
selves as surprised at the state of
mental alarm which they believe they
find in this country, and which is
not nearly as conspicuous in Europe
Be that as it may. One fact seems
quite certain and that is, as has al
ready been pointed out here, that
when the king and queen of Great
Britain travel all the way to North
America (they arrived, much de-
layed, at Quebec late Tuesday,, Eng
land does not fear any imminence of
war, and that means that the rest
of Europe is calm, too.
This feeling of at least temporary
security was intensified last Sunday
when Mussolini spoke at Turin and
emphasized his opinion that there
is not now anywhere in Europe any
single problem important enough to
start war about; Immediately this
was taken to mean that neither the
Danzig nor the Tunis question can
be considered potential war causes.
British Warning.
Mussolini, in expressing this senti-
ment, added that he spoke not only
in behalf of his own country but also
in behalf of Germany. AS though to
make amends for the mild dictatorial
sentiments, Mussolini soon after de-
livering his speech set out for trip
of inspection of his Notifications along
the Italo-French frontier, and at about
the same time Hitler began an in
spection tour of his forts along the
line.
Just before Mussolini limited that
Danzig would not be considered i'm
portant enough as cause for war,
Chamberlain in the British house of
commons had warned Germany that
any attempt to take Danzig would
mean that British military aid would
be rushed to Poland. But-and here
he again applied that meek method
which is characteristic of his policy
he did not say that any objection
would be raised to Danzig being re-