OVERSEAS OPINIONS

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 160, 1 April 1939, Page 1 (Supplement)

OVERSEAS OPINIONS

France and Spain. “The strategical Importance of Spain is of capital importance for our communications, and we could not tolerate the presence of a foreign nation in Spain compromising in any manner whatsoever the integrity and security of our imperial routes.” said M. Bonnet, the French Foreign Secretary. "The Burgos Government last September. when making to us a declaration of neutrality, subscribed to an under taking that no foreign nation should in the future establish domination ii: Spain. The Italian Government, on its part, declared, that it was not seeking to gain any territorial or political advantage on Spanish territory. The British Government, in common witli ours, has made note of these deelara tions and engagements. 1 will add that they have been given without reserve. 'The British Government has informed us that if was solidly behind France in assuring Spain’s independence. France simplv wants those undertakings fulfilled." America’s Help.

"We cannot expect help without deserving it," says the "Manchester Guardian." “Material interest or not, common ideals or not, the United States will not bolster up democracies that show themselves weak in facing the aggressors. A reactionary Britain would forfeit American respect and be left to her fate. The first condition on which we can hope that the United States will be brought to exert her unique influence more powerfully will lie to follow her example and show a firm policy in Europe. The second is that of prompt and close co-operation with Hie United States in those fields where there is active community of interest. as in tlie Ear East and in commercial policies in South America. Mr. Roosevelt lias taken political risks in bis stand; it is for us to support him by convincing the American people that their trust would not be misplaced." A Condition of American Intervention. "There is. Mr. Hoover declares, only one condition under which the United Stales might join in a European war." comments the "Scotsman.” "That condition, he says, would be a wholesale attack on women and children by the deliberate destruction of cities from the air. If that is the justification which Mr. Hoover would seek, tile next war will assuredly provide it, for nothing is more certain than that indiscriminate bombing from the air of large urban communities will be one of its regular features. Mr. Hoover may therefore in the end be found in harmony with Mr. Roosevelt, though at the moment he declares his intention of appealing to Congress to ‘have this adventure clarified.’ Mr, Hoover may be a true prophet when he says that ‘a .war to stive liberty would destroy liberty,’ and that ‘another great war will make dictatorships universal’; but these are generalizations that would prevail little against a conviction that democracy was in peril of its life at the hands of the totalitarian States. Mr. Roosevelt tit least would not be indifferent to such an issue.” What Will Mussolini Do? "With a firm promise of Nazi support ami the notion that Great Britain would not necessarily support France, Mussolini might be tempted to face tiny risks." says the “Western Mail.” "Mr. Chamberlain’s statement must therefore give him pause, for it is now plain that lie would make a tragic blunder if lie supposed that because lie has reached a pact with Britain we shall not range ourselves against him in a conflict which threatens France’s vital interests. What lists happened is I hat Mr. Chamberlain has given an assurance to France virtually identical with that which Hitler is supposed to have given to Mussolini, the only difference being that the British assurance is so worded as to admit of no doubt, whereas Hitler’s has required so many explanations as to create the suspicion that it may not be reliable.” VOICE—FIVE The Purveyor of Jitters. "I think it must have given the Fuehrer enormous satisfaction to observe the unequalled capacity which lie possesses for making other people’s tiesh creep, and, if he has any sense of humour, the mingled disappointment ami relief which followed the deflation of the expectations and apprehensions that he had aroused." says Mr. J. A. Spender in the “Yorkshire Observer.”

"It would. I think. serve our political purposes better if we gave the dictators rather less of this satisfaction. To keep the right mean between panic and complacency is not easy as tilings are, and we have passed through times in which optimism may well have seemed folly. But if one looks to tiie newspapers of tiie world, the contrast which it is possible to draw between tiie seemingly flurried and agitated democratic countries and the seemingly quiet and resolute totalitarian countries is not to the advantage of the former. 1 say ‘seemingly’ because the occasional glimpses that wet get of tiie truth behind the totalitarian mask show the same apprehensions and anxieties among their peoples as elsewhere, but appearances count for something and it is not well that the totalitarians should have all the advantages of tiie outward showing.”

A Hint to President Roosevelt. ‘‘Just as in 1!)1;1 there would have been no war if tiie Kaiser had known that the United States would be in the field against him unless he consented to Grey's conference, so Hitler and Mussolini would think twice in the light of a similar warning. They are stampeding into war under the conviction that the democracies are a rabble and cannot put up a united front against the ‘axis.’ It is an illusion that, should war come, events would soon shatter. But then it would be too late to prevent war. The illusion must be shattered now. And President Roosevelt can shatter it. Let him summon a world conference to consider how peace can be preserved and on what terms world reconciliation can be secured. No one can issue the invitation with the same disinterested authority, and the mere announcement of the fact would send a thrill of hope through the world, and not least through Hie world of the dictators, that would shake the ‘axis’ to its foundations But would the dictators accept? Perhaps not: probably not. But. whether they accepted or no. the gesture would be equally decisive.”—Mr. A. G. Gardinei, writing in the Loudon "SUU'.”

All Responsible for Democracy. "British democracy has slowly grown from small lieginuings as a natural growth." said Lord Baldwin in a speech at a Youth Conference. "You have always got to remember that we are ai most the only democracy in the world that has not a written const it ill ion That is very important. That strength ,i.s a real strength because, in working a democratic system in this country, you are working something that you feel Io be a part of yourselves. Democracy is a most difficult form of government to work successfully. It is a very easy thing to be a citizen under a dictatorship or an absolute monarchy. You have only got to do whai you are told. The whole country — every man. woman and child in ii — ultimately is responsible for the success and failure of democracy. It cannot function unless everybody does his or her duty and does it with a free spirit. Dictatorships are like great b.-ech trees, magnificent and imposing to look at. but nothing grows underneath them, and they cannot rear their kind in that environment." The Account to he Rendered.

"The Fubrer and the Italian Duce," said Mr. Lloyd George, speaking to the Council of Action, "will themselves have something to say about whether their ti-oous shall depart forthwith or slay till their vast bill has been paid. niK by Franco but by Britain ami France. These masters of statecraft are not fools enough to have thrown themselves into a Spanish quarrel and fought in it for two and a half years at great risk and cost to themselves without securing some advantage out of it. Guns on the Straits of Gibraltar and the Pyrenees, aerodromes on the French lines of communication in the Balearic's and the Bay of Biscay secure for the dictators a strategic and therefore a diplomatic superiority of the first order over the democratic countries. They can at any moment close the gales of the Mediterranean against ns and mso imperil our traffic along the African coast. Are our Ministers simple enough to believe that these ruthelss men will surrender this advantage over us till they get something substantial in return? They do not need territorial concessions in Spain. An effictiye military alliance will suffice for their purpose. You may depend upon it that such an alliance is already an established and accomplished fact.” Assertion and Fact.

“A subject on which it is not easy to follow Herr Hitler’s argument is.” asserts the "Daily Telegraph,” "in his account of the developments of last year. It is certainly astonishing to learn that 'we did not threaten anyone; we only defended ourselves against the interference of a third party.’ That is impossible to square with the known course of events between Godesberg ami Munich. Nor can we overlook bis admission that be had decided to take Austria in January—that is a month before his historic encounter with Herr von Schusehnigg at Berchtesgaden and two months before Herr von Schuschuigg’s plebiscite provided the pretext for marching in. Moreover, if, as he tells us. he had resolved upon a ‘radical and final’ solution of the Sudeten problem in May, why did he connive at the despatch in August of the Runcinian Mission in quest of a wholly different solution? These points are raised here, not to raise new disputes about the interpretation of last year’s events, but only to illustrate from Herr Hitler’s own account of them the difficulty of appreciating what is in his mind.” Changing Ownership.

‘‘Everything that is distinctive in our philosophy of life and our criterion of the good life is of increased significance today, when we are contrasting our scheme of things with those which have completely different ideas, actively promulgated. We ask ‘Does this help the democratic idea to be as practical, as elastic, as efficient, as satisfying as its competitor? Does it make for strength of character, readiness of initiative, cultivation of self-control, and a sense of social solidarity?’ In my judgment the instinct for home ownership and the discipline of its practice are both important evidences of, or elements in. the survival value of democracy.”—Lord Stamp. Common Ground in Spain. "Signor Mussolini’s military victories in Spain.” points out "Scrutator” in the "Sunday Times,” "are leading to political failure, and the longer lie retains his troops in Spain the more difficult it will be for him to disguise his failure. He made tiie mistake of undervaluing Hie Spanish character; he thought that a civil war which lias lasted two and a half years would be over in a few weeks, much as Dr. Jameson, when be made his raid into Hie Transvaal, thought he could accomplish with a handful of men what later the folly of President Kruger forced us to employ the whole British Army three years to accomplish. His best • chance of biding his miscalculations is to work with tins country for a settlement that has a good chance of being permanent. The political and military integrity of Spain and the exclusion of any foreign influence which would limit her independence are, there is good reason to believe, common ground between this country and Genera] Franco; they also coincide with Signor Mussolini’s repeated pledges.” Inspiration.

"While all Christendom agrees that the Bible is. inspired, no out* of all the churches Ims ever undertaken to give a definition of inspiration.” writes Canon Allan I’. Stratford in the "Montreal Family Herald.” "The most popular mid tenacious theory has been what is called plenary inspiration. Unit ‘•very book, chapter, text, and word is tally inspired so that error or mislake is unite impossible. Despite the researches of modern scholarship and the labours of Biblical critics, this theory is very widely held. On the basis of Illis definition of inspiration, all parts of the Bible are equally divine ami of the same value. The writers were mere liens, guided bv the Holy Spirit. They were no more responsible for the contents of the Bible than a s'oiiogr:ip''er resTionsihlo f (l| . ~ lecture. The weakness of this theory is that it does not work out in practice. Those who advocate it do not act upon it. They make decided preferences in favour of certain parts of the Bible.”