May 24.
The semi-official exposition of Briand's scheme for the federation of Europe was published in the "North-China Daily News" on Thursday and it shows that the French Premier is in no small degree endeavouring to meet criticisms which he knew would be directed against his proposals, To begin with, he strongly emphasizes the depend ence of the scheme on the support of the League of Nations and he disclaims hostility to any ethnical group, whether outside Europe or outside the League Friendliness and mutual confidence are prescribed as necessary jars in the scheme. The main ject is to endorse the principle of a moral European union and to provide that union with an organization for securing better representation of—Europea views in the League of Nations, For creating a political executive organization as the mouthpiece of those views and for drafting regulations defining the political and economic aims of the federation, The important question of defining the field of European ce-operation and the relations between the proposed union and other groups are left for determination by some future investigating machi The keynote of M. Briend's proposals is to be found in the statement that his Government have purposely presented the scheme in the most elementary form in order to secure unanimity at the outset, It is recognized that a real European union in the fullest sense of the term can only come by gradual evolu The contention ix that only by corporate union can Europe make her best contribution to the solution of the problems which tht greater body Geneva has set itself to solve, Tt may be noted that the principle of the moral unity of these columns and it would be foolish to ignore them. Great Britain as a European country with its major interests outside Europe can hardly be expected, on the one hand, to be accepted a3 a suitable member of the Union, or, on the other, to be willing to fetter her world policy by restrictions of her immediate obligations within so narrow a scope. At the same time, Great Britain, like the United States of America, would naturally welcome any movement which can be utilized for assuring to Europe improved economic stability and a more certain protection against the fissiparous influences which in the past so gravely menaced the peace of that continent and exposed its peoples to the constant nightmare of war.
M. Briand is a great statesman with the blend of the visionary and the practical which makes his influence. of real weight in the councils of Europe. When the Locarno Pact was signed in London over eight years ago there was no more dramatic passage in the cere-many of that great signature than his passionate assertion that both he and the late Dr. were "good Europe perhaps, not too fanciful gest that in that telling sentence lay the erin of the scheme which he has now put forth before the Europe of today. Frenchmen will be the last to deny to M. Briand the possession of patriotism in its most vivid form. Englis men who appreciate his stout advocacy of allied solidarity in the face of the most critical phases of the late struggle will similarly salute him as a wreat Frenchman, Whether the scheme attains to a rapid fruition or not, there will be no hesitation in acclaiming it as a product of a brain which has applied its perspicuous grasp of the motives of men and nations lo the living issues before the world to-day with an inspired sense of the spiritual call of humanity.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.