Evening Post

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 68, 22 March 1933, Page 6

Evening Post

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22, 1933,

NEW HOPE FOR EUROPE

"The best things haue been calumniated" is the marginal note to the opening paragraph of the beautiful . preface which King James's translators—just as dangerous innovators in their day as those who have sought to improve upon jheir work have been ever since—prefixed to what is now known as the Authorised Version of the Bible.

Zealq to promoto the common good, •they wrote, whether it be by deuising any thing our selues, or reuising that which hath liene laboured by others, deserueth certainly much respect and csteeme, but yet findeth but cold intertainment in. the- world. • It is ■welcommed with suspicion in stead of' loue, and with emulation in stead of thankes: and if there be any holo loft for cauill to enter (and cauili, if it doe not finde- a hole, will make one) it is sure to bee misconstrued, and i\i danger to be condemned. This will easily be granted by as many as know story, or hauo any experience. , *

As it was in 1611, so it is in 1933, and so apparently it will always be. The latest illustration is supplied By the reception given both in [London and in Paris to the great work which was initiated in the weekend conversations at Rome. Militarism and peace, as represented by the Prime Ministers of Italy and Britain respectively, have kissed each other, have parted good friends, and are actually hoping to meet again for the furtlier consideration of a scheme ifor^ relieving the hatreds and suspicions which are threatening to destroy civilisation. But it is just because these hatreds and suspicions were already blazing so fiercely that they have found fresh fuel in this new attempt to devise a remedy. The honest efforts of Mr. MacDonald and Signor Mussolini are "welcommed with suspicion in stead of loue, and with emulation [contention] in stead of thankes" and they must find what comfort they can in the reflection of King James's men that this is the inevitable reward of doing "any thing of note or consequence."

Happy is ho that is least tossed vpon tongues; for 'vtterly to escape the snatch,'of them, it is impossible.

Nor is there any novelty in the fact that this tossing and snatching process is being!directed from opposite quarters and in support of conflicting ideals, interests, and with little regard to the facts upon which it is supposed to be based.

As summarised in a message from Rome, which we published on Monday the official statement of the result ,of the conversations was as follows:—-

After a full and exhaustive exchange of 'ideas on the general situation on Saturday and Sunday, Signor Mussolini, Mr. MacDonald, and Sir John Simon examined a project which Signor Mussolini proposed for an understanding on. larger political questions for tho purpose of securing the collaboration of-tlio four Western Powers in an effort to promote, in th.e spirit of the Kellpgg Pact. and tho '' No Force' ' Declaration, a long period of peace for Europe and the world. ■"

Tn his subsequent talk .to journa3ists Mr. MacDonald added the request to "add or subtract nothing- to or from the communique." It may be supposed that the correspondents, at any rate of the British papers, have complied with this request, but in Britain and everywhere else editors have, of course, been free to make their glosses, and they have taken full advantage of the opportunity.

"We are thus, says the "Daily Herald," in the presence of an attempt to undermine the authority of the League of Nations and replace the Council. of 'the Assembly ty a selfappointed Junta of the Powers. . . .

Mr. MacDonald was once an enthusiastic, supporter of the League. He ia now cool, even hostile.

Every word of which is, ,not to put too fine a point upon it, unmitigated nonsense. One would like to ask the "Daily .Herald," How much of the League's authority lias survived the rupture with Japan? and how much of the remnant would be left if the revolt,of Germany destroyed the last hope of the Disarmament Conference" and plunged Europe into war? To conciliate Germany and to save the Conference from collapse are equally essential to the restoration of ; the. League's authority and the maintenance of peace. For more than a year the' Disarmament Conference has dawdled and wrangled and procrastinated its way along till it seemed to have reached a dead-end, which, synchronising; with Hitler's dictatorship, threatened a general1 smash. Mr. MacDonald goes to Geneva, gives the Conference a new lease of life with his message of hope and his disarmament plan, flies to Rome to consult the Italian Dictator, who has lately seemed more concerned to display his friendship for Germany than his loyalty to the League, gets his consent to a tentative Four-Power agreement which is probably the best news that the League has had' since Mr. MacDonald's own achievement at Lausanne in July, Sand then, in recognition of this unique service, is denounced by the "Daily Herald" as an enemy of the League! 'More dangerous than the absurdities of the British Labour organ seemed to be the fears of French patriotism. With a painful unanimity, the ' Paris papers were reported a week ago to consider that disarmament was "definitely doomed," and some were ey_en describing Mr. MacDonald as

"a go-between in the efforts of Germany and Italy to blackmail France." Distrust of Mussolini combined with distrust of MacDonald to warp the French judgment, and when tho Four-Power proposal appeared it was at once condemned as incompatible with the Covenant of the League, and with the military alliances of France with Poland and the Little Entente, and as mzking insufficient provision ,for .security. But an astonishing and almost startling change in French opinion is reported today. The Paris Press is usually a safe guide to the views of the French Government, but after conferring with the British Ministers, and seeing, perhaps for the first time, the full text of the document, the Government is now said to approve of the proposal. The first of today's reports on the subject is apparently taken from a French Press forecast:—

It .. is stated that M. Daladicr and M. Paul Boncour will assure Mr. MacDonald and Sir John Simon of their warm support. It is learned that they consider tho Borne movement as of tho utmost importance, believing the reafnrmation of a ban on the use of force will produce 'the happiest psychological effect at present, and make a big contribution towards the reestablishnifint of confidence.

But a later message reports definitely tho tentative acceptance of the scheme by the French Premier, and, tentative acceptance is as far as any Government can go at the present stage. The plan, - which is now described as Sign or Mussolini's, is said to provide for the immediate recognition of Germany's claim to equality, and for the revision of the Peace- Treaties relating to Austria, Hungary, and Bulgaria as well as Germany. That such a proposal should be accepted, and cheerfully accepted, by France seems to be almost beyond belief. If it is confirmed, it may surely be regarded as the best.thing that has happened to the world since Lausanne,, if not since Locarno.