FORCE, LEGAL, AND , ILLEGAL
[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.] Sta,---Whatever the shortcomings of the sanctionists, . they have the Peace movement in general at heart and will regret the tone of General Crozier's letter, which does less than justice to either the cause he defends or attacks. May I. remind him that in his original letter he used the word amateur " as an old soldier who has had experience of police work in peace and War " ? This must must mean professionally as a soldier, and not as a teacher of ethics as he now suggests.
Sanctionists and Pswifiets, whilst they may differ from each other upon short-range objectives, will better serve a common cause (progress towards . peace) by minimising rather than magnifying their differences. The Covenant of the League of Nations embodies a principle that must take us far along that road and attempts to discredit it by dogmatic reference to the Scriptures are a poor service to humanity. During the past few years the League system has been in danger because few were prepared to support the Covenant. We may now find ourselves in danger because of the many strange allies Il Duce has forced upon us.
'Despite the-overwhelming support for the Government for any drastic action they may take in the present dispute, 'the correspondence columns of the Press indicate that the funda- mental principles of the Covenant are but little understood.
Certain sections of political thought are already taking advantage of the probable use of military sanctions, to argue. that heavy increases of armaments are necessary in order that States Members of the League may, be ready to " play their part." Make loyalty to the Covenant an estab- lished fact and reduction, not increase, of armaments must follow. Collective security can be efficiently maintained, and can only be maintained, with a third of the present-day expen- diture upon armaments.
But all these enemies we understand, and do not confuse them with those who should be our friends. We do not attack the pacifists, sharing their ideal that bullets as a reply to an argument is the greatest of many human futilities. But whilst we shoulder the burden of practical measures for- the imme- diate reduction of this evil we at least expect a polite tolerance from those pacifists who, as theoretical purists, are doing little to conquer the difficulties that confront us today.
World conscience has not yet risen above the use of armed force as a survey of Europe will demonstrate. That is the position which the sanctionists face by striving to divert and reduce such armed force within legal restrictions. General Crozier refers me to the Scriptures ; as an amateur in religious matters. may I conclude by quoting the sentence " Suffer it to be so now" ?—Yours, &c.,
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