MUSSOLINI'S MISTAKE

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 117, 13 November 1935, Page 9

MUSSOLINI'S MISTAKE

SECURITY FKOM WAE

BRITAIN AND THE LEAGUE DOOR STILL OPEN TO ITALY (From "The Post's" Representative.) LONDON, October 19. In what may be considered the first of the General Election speeches, Mr. Chamberlain, at Glasgow, recapitulated the position of the Government with regard to the Abyssinian question. Britain, he said, had professed her readiness to help Italy to secure her legitimate ambitions so long as she did not resort to war.' "Even now," he declared, "when she has begun hostilities we have never withdrawn those words, and we have not sought in any way to close the dar-r which a little while ago we sought to open to her." ...-.:"". Some people held'that these issues did not. really concern us, that we could rest safely uv our little island and let the rest of the world go down • to. chaos and ruin. Mr. Amery told a Birmingham audience the other day that he was not prepared to send a single Birmingham lad to his death for Abyssinia. '. " "It would be difficult to cram into a few words a more mischievous distortion of realities' of the situation than were comprised in th^t one. sentence/ 1 declared Mr. Chamberlain. V ■, , '• ' "We are not sending anybody to, their death. We are trying Vta stop 'a war which has already begun,- and if we are only partially successful the pro- - bability is that we may save many thousands of lives. s ■ .. FATE OF THE LEAGUE. "We are not taking up the cudgels for Abyssinia. This is not merely a question of the fate of Abyssinia; it is a question of the fate of the League itself. ' ..-.■■■"■. "If we allow nations who undertake that they will not resort to -war as an instrument of national policy, and that they will not lay hands on the territory of fellow-members, to violate both these undertakings with impunity, none of us will look to the League in future to give us any protection against aggression directed against ourselves." . ■';..• The astonishing demonstration of agreement at Geneva has come about because of the realisation that there were fundamental issues at stake. The old system of alliances and the balance of power had gone. In its place the League was the only instrument lo which we could look to give us security against war. "Unless we make a stand on the principles of the League we may say goodbye to any hope of freeing ourselves from a recurrence of war. It is an imperfect instrument, but there is enough of it left-to" make it a very formidable body to offend, if its members choose to take collective, and effective action!;' WORTH TAKING RISKS: If the League were enabled to exert its authority to limit, or shorten the struggle in Africa, it would inspire such new confidence and earn such, new respect that its powers of preserving peace would be multiplied indefinitely. "Is not that an object for which it is worth taking some risk—even if we have to take new measures to meet these risks?" he declared. If the League were to abdicate its functions, every weak nation would first begin to arm, then to seek alii- '" ance with its strongest neighbour. Before long the peace "of Europe would; - be at the mercy of the biggest and strongest Powers. • He saw no reason to doubt Signor Mussolini's statement that he did not intend to injure the interests of Great Britain. . "But, in putting that forth he has missed the whole point," Mr. Chamberlain went on. "He has not, apparently understood that it is possible for a nation to think, not of its immediate, direct interests, but of the ultimate object which is to be gained, and in which that nation has only a share in common with all its fellow-members of the League. • , •■ UNJUSTIFIABLE REPROACHES. "In spite of our offer to help Italy to secure her ambitions we seem to have been singled out for special resentment. I am sure that the feelings of Italians have been further embittered and their hostility deliberately directed against this country by those in authority. "I can only say that we cannot be turned from our purpose by reproaches of that character—reproaches which, are without any justification, whatever. The issues are too big. "The choice before us is whether we shall make a last effort at Geneva for peace and security, or, whether by a cowardly surrender we shall break a promise we have made and hold ourselves up to the shame of our children and our children's children."