THINK CAREFULLY

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 22 December 1938, Page 3

THINK CAREFULLY

MR SPENDER SUMS UP There is still discussion on the general ' policy adopted by Mr Chamberlain, and Mr J. A. Spender’s concise summing up in the "Yorkshire Observer” should therefore, be of interest. Mr Spender writes:—“Major Attlee, Mr Churchill, and Mr Lloyd George would have us know how much more valiant they would have been if they, and not Mr Chamberlain, had had the handling of

'the Czechoslovakian affair. Apparent.- 1 : ly they would have insisted, in the j teeth of Lord Runciman’s report, upon j the Sudeten Germans remaining within ! the boundaries of Czechoslovakia, and 1 loi the sake of this would have risked ! a world war. which, incidentally, would i have destroyed Czechoslovakia. They * 1 are convinced that, if we had done this. 1 Herr Hitler would have given way. It is possible, but in that case we should j have stood committed to doing in Central Europe what we have failed to do i j in Ireland and arc unable to do in | Palestine—i.e., compel two races to ■ live together under the same Govern- | j ment, when one of them is determined i ' not to do so. We should have had to J

do this in the face of German opposition backed by an overwhelmingly greater force than wc or any possible ally could have placed on the spot. I would plead with progressive politicians to think carefully before they rank themselves as opponents of the policy of appeasement. It may fail, but the blood ought not to be on their head if it does. Burke said that it was "no inconsiderable part of wisdom to know 1 how much of an evil it is necessary to tolerate.” and the unhappy fact we have to digest is that, in its present condition. Europe presents us at every turn with a choice of evils. Let us be careful that we do not choose the worse.