Mr, Eden Urges Joint Efforts' to Uphold Peace: Future' Free from Haunting Shadows MOVING plea for a united London, Mar. 26. policy and common purpose and support, irrespective of party, for efforts "to maintain peace, to strengthen the League of Nations, to uphold the sanctity of treaties, and above all to seck, without respite, to fashion from the troubled present a future whi ich may be free from the haunting fear wat shadow our own tim es," was made by Mr. Anthony] Eden, the Foreign Secretary, during the debate on foreign affairs in the House of Commons to-day.
"We know our obligations," he said, "and we are prepared to fulfil them, But what is uppermost in my mind and, I believe, uppermost in the minds-of a great number of British people, is that we must persist in our search for peace on an enduring foundation, If we are to achieve that we shall need help from all."
Following the Foreign Secre! tary's statement, in the course of which he said he was not prepar red to be the first British Foreign Secretary to go back on a British signature, Mr. Hugh Dalton, speaking for Labour, criticized the details of the four-Power proposals. He declared that the country, which would not support an exclusive Anglo-French. mil sturdy organization of collective Nations, itary alliance, would support a security through the League of The debate was concluded without a vote after Mr, Neville Chamberlain, Chancellor of the Exchequer, had wound up for the Vigorous apposition fo the proposals contained In the Locarno Agreement providing for collaboration between the British and" French General Staffs on measures to safeguard the French frontier, was voleed by Mr.
Loyd George, former' Prime After saying such proposals were exceedingly dangerous, Mr, Lloyd George described how, in pi, military arrangements' thwarted negotiations und precipitated the war, 'The French view, he declared, of the steps that can' be taken, if an agreement Is not reached, Is absolute ly different from the British, but there ought to be no ambiguity' about subject involving the lives. of millions of young men.
He then asked whether military measures would operate upon the failure of negotiations or only in case of unprovoked aggression.
Mr. Lloyd George, in conclusion, described Herr Hitler's "action in denouncing the Locarno Treaty and revoceupying the Rhineland "organizing a torchlight procession through a powder magazine."
Sir Archibald Sinclair (Liberal) pald a tribute to Mr. Eden's handling of exltieal negotiations and supported (en Chamberlain, ¢ormert jeeretary, declared that the was whether, In future, force or law would prevail. Unless Nomothing could be done to restore confidence in treaties, no new treaty was possible, There were plenty. reassuring utterances by Herr Hitte Sreston, Meanwhile, we must but ress the League by such arrange. ments as Locarno."
Referring to the question whether contact between the General Staffs Involved Britain in an obligation 13 undertake, with France, to expel German troops from the @hino!and, Mr. Chamberlain said "Most definitely Germany, he added, had made no contribution to a restoration of conildence, "We want a contribution to convince other.countries that Ger~ many is coming to the conference with a real desire to reach a satis: factory sottlemen In commencing' his statement, Mr. Eden intimated that it was not ad-Aressed to abroad but to the people of Britain. "He said he proposed to use frankness on international affairs, in order to put the situation and' its problems before the British people in 4 clear and true prospective, They must distinguish, he said, between what might be national dentiment and what were for the good oF MI of national obligations.
'The permanent demilitarization of the Rhineland stipulated in the Versailles Treaty, the Forelg Secretary Informed the House, was the most Important element in' inducing the French to forego the separation of the Rhineland from Germany.
He then reviewed the history of the demilitarized zone asa factor French security and gave a reellal of the German failure to observe the procedure laid down in freely-negotiated treaties, Germany, ho declared, referred the dictate of Versailles, but no one ever heard of the dictate of Locarno. but reassuring acts were lacking, "]1€ Germany wished to. modity the Herr Hitler had offered peace for 25 years, but Germany was already bound under the Kellogg Pact never to uso war as an instrument of polley. Germany's offer to return to. the League was clearly the preliminary a demand for the return of het col-nies, Sir Austen then' referred to the anti-Judaism and glorification of war in Germany, and said it was these big Issues, and not small matters Ike the demititarization of the Rhineland, that were at stake, "Unless we' learn 9 lesson," he died, "we will steadily march' back toa new 1914,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.