A Plan for Abyssinia It may be too much to
hope that Signor Mussolini will adopt the very interesting suggestion put forward in The Times by Lord Lugard, and supported by several writers of undisputed authority on African affairs, that the Emperor Haile Seilassie should be invited to resume his rule over one Abyssinian province, by preference Gojjam, under Italian suzerainty, the Emperor undertaking in return to do what he could to discountenance armed resistance to Italy in the rest of Abyssinia. It can, no doubt, be objected that such an expedient would be like casting a cloak of respecta- bility over an essentially disgraceful episode in international relations. That may be. But prolonged guerilla warfare in Abyssinia, while it will prolong Italy's difficulties, will do more harm in the end to the Abyssinians than to the Italians. The adoption of Lord Lu3ard's suggestion would have various advantages for the different parties concerned. It would give the Emperor authority over an area not much smaller than he effectively controlled before the war ; it would considerably reduce Italy's difficulties in Abyssinia ; and it would very substantially improve the new relations between Britain and Italy. It is to be hoped that those relations have by this time become such as to make it practic- able for Lord Halifax to commend Lord Lugard's proposal earnestly to Count Ciano. Such a demarche would command general support in this country. *
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