AT BAYONET POINT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23631, 15 October 1938, Page 13

AT BAYONET POINT

GERMANY’S DEMANDS BRUTAL AND ARROGANT RECORD OF BROKEN PROMISES (British Official Wireless) (United Press Association) (By Electric Telegraph—Copyright) RUGBY, Oct. 13. (Received Oct. 14, at 5.5 p.m.) Sir Terence O’Connor (Solicitorgeneral), in a speech, recalled that Germany disclaimed emphatically all claims to further European conquest. It was true that Germany had broken promises in the past, but was it sufficiently certain that it would do so again—sufficiently certain to justify a preventive war? Peaceful exchange of trade between Germany and Eastern Europe would loosen the channels of trade, and by raising the German standard of life it would benefit Europe and England. If Germany were false to her pledges, and that was a posibility that must be faced, there would be a new situation demanding different treatment. What could be rightly complained of were the brutal and arrogant demands made at the point of the bayonet. However just Germany’s demands might have been, the method was wrong, and the fact that the method was that of force made Unnecessary that we should prepare ourselves to resist force by force if the demands were unjust and was sought to be attained not by reason and judgment, but by a method of barbarity It must not be imagined that the cost of resistance would be light, but democracy must show that it was prepared to risk all if it were likely to lose all.