the estimate of the Spanish civil war made by Wing-Commander A. W. H. James in the House of Commons is correct, the worst fears of these who have striven to prevent the fighting from becoming a war of ideologies seem to have been realized, The groups which have been loosely Uinked under the title of "Leftists" opponents; and those who have been called "RighTists" stand for fascism and. dictatorship and all that they imply, in the view of those who are so strenuously resisting them. This is in spite of the fact that members of several of the numerous parties that have existed fu "Spain are ranked on opposing sides, though their political objectives are similar, There is no question of a form of government on the side of the defenders of Madrid. Even Communism may exist without the destruction of democratic forms of government, as the recent promulgaton of the how constitution in Soviet Russia goes {0 prove. That constitu tion, it'must be admitted, has yet to be tried; but that the heads of the Soviets, hitherto regarded as dictators, should be confident enough to. sur-Fender much of their dictatorial power in favour of an elective pariis mentary system without surrendering their beliefs in "a communist ideal, oes to show that communism and democracy are not mutually. self-destructive. On the other hand there are the "Righlists". To them democracy isa spent force. It is more; itis a danger to their ideal of the state for the state's sake. Thus Spain has become the ring in which the supporters of the (we ideologies are attempting to settle their differences. It is a deplorable state of affairs, but with "the landing of Russians (0 assist the Spanish government and the large number of French Volunteers who have attached themselves to the government's banner on the one' side, and. the invasion of brown. shirts, black shirts, green shirts, and other coloured denomina-ons to assist the insurgents on the other, it is a fact that can no longer be ignored. It seems to be the con~ cern of other Powers to prevent the battle' from. spreading outside the ring and embroiling the rest of Europe, AN
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.