M. Briand's latest Note on Mr. Kellogg's peace proposals seems
to entail a pause in the negotiations. M. Briand says in effect that it would be easy and agreeable to enter into a unilateral Peace Treaty with the United States, but that since Mr. Kellogg has proposed that the Treaty should embrace other Powers it is necessary to point out that a general Treaty might conflict with pledges which France has already given. M. Briand, of course, does not forget to be loyal to the League ; he points out that the commitments of France are all within the four corners of the League, and that the ultimate test of what is useful and permissible is the Covenant. The best thing that can be hoped for in the immediate future is that these' exchanges of- epidon will cause the new Arbitration Treaties between the United States and France and the United States and ibitain.to be unusually:, wide in scope. It will hardly -be possible again to -exclude matters of " honour " and " vital interest "—phrases which can be made to shut out from arbitration every conceivable subject of dispute. „ * * * 4!t
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