DILEMMA'S HORNS

Italy's success in conquering Ethiopia has put the British in a very difficult position, making it almost impossible for them to get out of the mess gracefully. The sanctions have failed to accomplish the desired effect, and popular opinion in England is up in arms against the Government.

To relax sanctions now, would involve an admission of failure of the League which would reflect badly on the moral authority of Great Britain. The average Englishman realizes this, but it is hard for him also to realize that it is partly the fault of a Government which allowed tons of poison gas to be shipped to Italian armies through the Suez Canal and permitted British Oil companies to sell their products as fuel for Mussolini's airplanes and tanks. They have learned the bitter lesson that sanctions are useless and futile, unless they are carried through to their logical conclusions, relentlessly and brutally.

England thus finds itself in a dilemma which is clearly expressed by the two schools of thought that have been seeking to gain Mr. Baldwin's ear. One group headed by Viscount Cecil insists upon a stronger League as the only means of peace, while others under Lord Lothian see safety in a League that doesn't force anybody to go to war.

When the new British policy is framed, England will have to bear in mind the fact that Italy is slowly manoeuvering herself into a position of dominance in the Mediterranean, and that the Suez and Malta are dangerously near the Fascist axe. The days of the old-fashioned European Alliances and Alignments seem to be back to stay.