4n a speech at Indianapolis, has outlined the "Heavy burden which will rest upon the shoulders of the Anglo-Saxon democracies, "when victory over Hitler and his satellites shall have restored peace to the world. He put it quite bluntly when he said that the British Empire and the United States would "have to combine to stop aggression, which might lead to a world disturbance, at its beginnings, that they should join forces for 'a century at least to produce "by force, if need be," an effective system of international Jaw. It is of little avail to recount the grave mistakes which have been made internationally during the last ten years, but it may said with justice that, if such a combination had existed rather more than "ten years ago, and if action, which Col. Knox contemplates as probably being necessary to ensure the peace of the future, had been taken, aggression as it is now known would probably not have proved so fashionable.
The rule of law has again to be restored to the world. Not only that, it will have to be vindicated, whenever necessary, by firm action on the part of those countries "paying more than lip-service to its principles. Nations which violate their undertakings will have to be made to conform to ithe law; aggressors will have to be restrained even though it means resort to force. Apart from what happened in the Far East, it is clear that failure to take appropriate action, directly Hitler commenced breaking the terms of the Versailles Treaty, Only encouraged him to proceed with the plan which has brought Europe into this catastrophic war. Had it been made plain to him from the very outset that he would be made to fulfil Germany's commitments under the Treaty, a very different state of affairs would have been brought about, and Germany, instead of being impoverished in a war which can only lead to her destruction, might very well have become by now one of the most, if not the most prosperous country on the Continent.
'There will undoubtedly be those to whom the idea of a universal Anglo-American' hegemony. even if only for the maintenance of a permanent peace, will prove repugnant. But it is not going to be a question of what possible aggressors of the future may think, but of what is best for the world at large, and how the sacred principles of democracy can best be defended. The very least that can be said for such an arrangement is that at any rate it would create a benevolent hezemonv, rather than the térannies which the Nazis and Fascists so obviously contemplate. Such a combination as that which Col. Knox envisages would be the most power-fol in the world. It would seek no territory fal agerandisement at the expense of others, amd would' permit of no other nation, Much hes been written in the past of tions attempting to do the samej resurrection of the League of Nations in some form or other, backed up by an international police force. That does not seem to be at all feasible if indeed by the his-for of the League, and Col. Knox's alternative is the only one which commends ftcolt "There is something to be said for the be-def that if the whole world would enjoy for a century the blessings of peace, if during that veried those peoples, who worship war as the ultimate weapon of diplomacy, could be brought to a realization that humanity is best served by being allowed to work out its destiny without any fear whatsoever, the disposition to war would vanish. The repeated ohiect lessons proving that wa is never profitable have failed to convince a Tarse section of mankind. It is possible that the benefits of prolanzed peace might carry greater conviction. That is the higher ideal fo be aimed at, But on more selfish grands Col. Knox's scheme must commend itself. The democracies owe it to themselves to defend the principles which they have accepted as the best rule of life. If no such scheme is adopted. if nations are again permitted to dishonour themselves by refusal to carry out commitments, and get away with it, the next generation might very well expect a war even more terrible than this. Col. Knox has nointed the way. Tt is to be: hoved that Britain will suopórt his views. Along that path is life: along any other Mes the ultimate death of all human values.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.