NO CHOICE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 1, Issue 87, 13 November 1939, Page 2

NO CHOICE

AGGRESSION MUST BE STOPPED A "HEALING PEACE" DESIRED An admirable statement of the combined determination and sanity governing public men's attitude towards Britain's war aims is contained in a letter in this morning':; "Times." I The writer is the Marquis of Douglas and Clydesdale, M.P., A.F.C., a former champion boxer and leader some years ago of the aerial survey flight over Mount Everest. Lord Clydesdale writes : — "Many, like myself, have had the opportunity of hearing a good deal of what the men and women of my generation are thinking. There is no doubt in any quarter, irrespective of party, that this country had no choice but to accept the challenge of Hitler's aggression against one country in Europe after another. If Hitler is right when he claims that the whole of the German nation is with him in his cruelties and treacheries, both within Germany and without, then, this war must be fought to the bitter end. It rnay we'll last for many years, but the people of the British Empire will not faulter in their determination to see it through.

"But I believe that the moment the menace of aggression and boil faith has been removed, war against Germany becomes wrong and meaningless. This generation is conscious that injustices were done to the (Herman people in the era after the last war. There must be no repetition of that. To seek anything but a just and comprehensive peace to lay at rest the fears and discords in iZurope would be a betrayal of our fallen.

When Hostilities Cease. "I look forward to the day when a trusted Germany will again come into her own, and believe that there is such a Germany, which would be loth to inflict wrong on other nations such as she would not like to suffer herself. That day may be iar off, but when it comes, then hostilities could, and should, cease, and all efforts be concentrated on righting the wrongs in Europe by free negotiations between the disputing parties, all parties binding themselves to submit their disputes to an impartial equity tribunal in case they cannot reach agreement.

"Healing Peace."

"We do not grudge Germany Lebensraum, provided that Lebensraum is not made the grave of other nations. We should be ready to search for and find a just colonial settlement, just to all peoples concerned, as soon as there exist effective guarantees that no raee will be exposed to being treated as Hitler treated the Jews on November 9 of last year. We shall, I trust, live to see the day when such a healing peace is negotiated between honourable men, and the bitter memories of the 25 years of unhappy tension between Germany and the "Western democracies are wiped away in their responsible co-operation for building a better Europe."