Manawatu Evening Standard. FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 1936. DREAMS OF CONQUEST.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVI, Issue 123, 24 April 1936, Page 8

Manawatu Evening Standard. FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 1936. DREAMS OF CONQUEST.

Mussolini is magnificent—magnificent in allusions and delusions. He is a profound dreamer, and takes his dreams seriously. He does not subscribe to Kipling’s line, “If you can dream and not make dreams your master.” Mussolini’s dreams have mastered Mussolini; the Duce seems vulnerable to dreams. In his latest journalistic effort he Avrites :—“The most gigantic colonial expedition in the Avhole of history is approaching an end, despite the inhuman policy of sanctions, Avliose supporters are now openly trying to sabotage our victory.” According to the Italian vieAV sanctions against Italy are inhuman but the use of poison gas against the helpless black is human. The vieAvpoints of Mussolini are someAvhat distorted. He looks through one end of the telescope at himself which magnifies his importance, and looks through the other end at the Ethiopians and they appear to him as black crawling things to be exterminated by all and eA ? ery means. No longer is Mussolini seeking for room for expansion, and for securing raw materials, the aim iioav is to absorb Abyssinia, of course, on humanitarian grounds, but we think the Abyssinians Avould prefer to be left alone to Avork out their oavu salvation. Let us look back on the history of this campaign. The League of Nations, constantly urged by Britain, has endeavoured to end the Avar. The League did not hesitate to declare Italy the aggressor, and furthermore at considerable sacrifice of some of the members, economic sanctions have been applied, and they have had greater effect apparently than appears , on the surface. Then AA r e have the strenuous efforts made by Britain and France to put an end to the Avar. It Avill be remembered that Sir Samuel Hoare, Avho Avas then Foreign Minister, and M. Laval, who was then the Prime Minister of France, submitted a peace proposal, the basis of Avhich Avas a gift to Italy of one-third of Abyssinia. That proposal, as Ave all knoAV, met Avith such a hostile reception in Britain, that ultimately Sir Samuel Hoare had to resign his portfolio. M. Laval Avas voted out of office in the French Chamber of Deputies Noav Mussolini intends to grab the Avkole of Abyssinia, and the question is will he be permitted by the Avorld to do so. ’The avoißl in this case is the British Empire. If the British Avould pot stand for a slice of Abyssinia being given to Italy, are the British people likely to remain passive ivhile Italy grabs the entire country ? Mussolini is an adept in the use of' bombastic statements as Avitness his re-

marks in tlie Popolo d’ltalia: “The victory against Abyssinia, which has been Avon at the cost of blood and gold against strenuous resistance, is a victory of the whole Italian people. It is sacred, inviolable, and intangible.” These are patriotic words and bombastic also, for victory is not yet m the grasp of Italy, and it may be that the Italians will have to climb over a phalanx of British bayonets before Mussolini could truthfully write the word victory. Britain harbours no enmity towards Italy, and has no quarrel with that country. Britain stands on a high moral plane in this war. It is repugnant to the British and against their moral sense that a civilised nation equipped Avith all modern and scientific weapons of warfare should wantonly invade a country of ignorant black men, and hurl them and their women and children to death indiscriminatelj. The Abyssinian War is likely to develop into something bigger in which Britain may take a prominent part.