Roosevelt's speech accurately reflects the prevalent opinion among democracies that unless a halt be called to the cumulative process of denying the efficacy of good faith the very foundations of their security must disappear. China is entitled to congratulate herself on the vindication of her right of defence against unwarrantable attack. She will be wise, however, to take careful note of the implications of the proposals whereby the League, with her acquiescence and with the ce-operation of the United States of America, seeks to determine the issues involved. As a signatory of the Nine Power Treaty, Italy should realize that, by transferring the responsibility of reviewing the Pacific problem to an extra-League tribunal, her: own susceptibilities are being taken ito account. Just as America, Germany and Japan, non-members of the League and signatories to the Treaty, will receive their invitation from their colleagues of the Washington Conference, so Italy, if she stands on her present objection to the League's authority, may be brought within the orbit of the projected new conference without prejudice to her position, Frankly, much diplomatic spade-work will be necessary to establish these preliminaries to the corporate discussion of Far Eastern affairs, but it will be earnestly hoped that solicitude for the world's urgent need of peace will prevail over national particularism, No country, however passionately convinced of its owh grievances can afford at this critical juncture to be responsible for barring the way to international pru.
China has thus n assured of the moral support of an important section of opinion in her present resistance to aggression. She, no less than Japan, should, however, observe that the tribunal to which recourse is now proposed will have authority to survey the whole situation in the Far East and consequently to weigh up all factors which have contributed to the crisis now involving herself and Japan in a disastrous conflict. The decision which has been taken does not imply commitment of any other nation to armed intervention, although it must Te recognized that should Japan carry her contumacy to extravagant lengths that danger has to be taken into account. China will be well-advised to regard that danger as fatal to her own interests and to consider how
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.