General Franco Adamant It is only reasonable that, while there ix a lull in. the fighting in Spain, endeavours should be made by both Great Britain and France {to bring peace to that stricken country. General Franco will undoubtedly make every endeavour' to commence his campaign against that portion Jot "Spain which has not fallen to him Quickly as possible, but while he makes new dispositions of his forees there is a breathing space of which advantage shoutd be taken in the interests of peace. The Nationalist Leader's terms are at present uncompromising. They Jamount to nothing short of unconditional surrender. That, he has made perfectly clear, The Republicans, however, are deterred from accepting that because of the fear that stern reprisals. will be taken against them once peace has been established, General Franco's statement that would only punish the "blood guilty" being much too wide to dispel the fear that large numbers of Republicans will receive severe Punishment and even death. "Already a number of Republicans have been tried and sentenced Jat Barcelona, though not many details have os yet been made known to the world at large. The British, and the French would undoubled-like to ce General Franco, while insisting upon unconditional surrender, "definitely abandon the policy of reprisals.' In that respect there can be little doubt that the move for re-
Jeognition of General Franco's government would be rather more popular in both coun-{tries were he to do xo, and follow somewhat more merciful lines than those which he appears to be bent on following. It ever there Were a case in which the quality of mercy should not be strained it is this. Sufficient wrongs have been committed during the course of this wretchedly bitter struggle without adding to them in times of peace which it is hoped Is soon ta come. There is still much cause for resentment on either side, and this will not be alleviated by the further persecution of people who no matter how. right o: wrong their political convictions may have been have already suffered very considerably for them. "A Paris message states that the Republican Government are prepared to offer surrend-for with the one condition that there shall be hho reprisals against those who fought on the Republican side, or who have Republican sympathies. On the face of it this docs not seem fo be an unreasonable condition, though they fare in no military position to insist upon It [Should it be refused they wilt have no alternative but to continue a struggle which can only Jend one way, for if numbers of them are sooner or later to dic under sentence of General Franco's courts-martial, they will probably feet that they might just as well make their deaths fas expensive to the ultimate conquerors possible. That may be a counsel of desperation, but after all they are in a desperate case. the minds of the Council, but it is as well that it should remember' that the secrecy which shrouds much of its proceedings itself engenders suspicion. In this connection it would be better if the Council adopted the policy of making public notifications in language understandea by the common people, and not something which needs a great deal of inside information to comprehend. 'There is one other point. Congratulations are due to the heads of departments and deputies concerned, who have voluntarily waived their undoubted rights with regard to notice con~ cerning the changed conditions which the Special Committee's report brings about. BY doing so they enable the Council to put the report into effect without delay. In view of the criticism which has been levelled against them, as ungenerous in some cases as it was ignorant, their gesture is one of very considerable loyalty, yet, nevertheless, to be expected of what is after all a fine body of men,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.