Mr. Henderson implied the truth clearly enough that France is
the chief obstructionist, the one dissenting juryman, but by allowing M. Briand's scheme of a European organization outside the League to be sub- mitted to a Commission of the League instead of to the whole Assembly in Committee—which would there and then have riddled it—he inevitably made it easy for the work of obstruction to continue. We must, however, appreciate his motive. M. Briand has been a good friend to the League, in spite of persistent difficulties, and Mr. Henderson wished to ease the situation for him and, still more, to save, him from humiliation. The cause of peace has done worse tirm merely mark time ; it has • slipped back a step. But Mr. Henderson was probably aware of what was happening behind the scenes in France. M. Tardieu and M. Poineare were preparing a fresh collaboration. On- Wednesday they met to talk politics and the Times correspondent thinks that M. Briand's position will become more precarious than ever. The probability is a" move to the Right." He says that both M. Tardieu and M. Poincare resent M. Briand's pretension to be the helmsman of France.
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