PEACE OF EUROPE.

Taranaki Daily News, 10 November 1922, Page 5

PEACE OF EUROPE.

ALLIES AS GUARDIANS. NEED FOR UNITY. MENACE IN THE EAST. By Telegraph.—Press Assn.-—Copyright. London, Nov. 8. Lord Curzon, speaking in the city, said there had been no plot or intrigue in regard to the late Government. He was prepared to concede great superiority of intellect to his late colleagues. He had not always agreed with tne late Government’s policy, and the manifesto issued on September 16 was issued without his knowledge. It was unfortunate in character and tone, and there was no doubt when they had a Prime Minister with Mr. Lloyd George a peculiar gifts, such a man must exercise unusual influence on foreign affairs. General opinion supports Mr. Bonar Law’s view, that the work of the Foreign Office, which is largely expert work, must be done by Che department itself, subject to the control of Cabinet and the personal supervision of the Prime Minister. The charge that the Foreign Office claims any special degree of privilege or immunity for itself is without foundation. Al) the Foreign Office asks is that it-should not be interfered with by irresponsible amateurism, however brilliant it may he. Since he had been Foreign Secretary lie had forgotten he was a Conservative, and had striven for the honor of the country and the peace of the world. Britain’s foreign policy was now the foreign policy of the Empire. “JINGOISM IS DEAD” He laid it down as the cardinal principle that peace was only recoverable by the common action of the principal Allies, who achieved victory in the war. They could only settle tlie reparations and the Near East questions if France, Britain and Italy acted loyally with each other. He had never initiated any line of policy in great affairs without immediately informing France and Italy. He was not much of a believer in finesse or intrigue, and he deprecated the dictionary definition of diplomacy, which described it as skill in managing international relations by adroitness and artful management. Britain’s strength lay in straightforwardness, and in cooperation between France, and Britain lay the security of the world’s peace. What the country desired to eschew more than anything else was the policy of adventure. Jingoism was dead. What -we had to do was to get back to the condition of mutual esteem existing between Britain and France before the war. That was more important than any written document or signed pact. He would not be a party to evasion by Germany of any just obligations, and he would not save her at the expense of our old ally, bub he would try to be fair between the two, and was hopeful of arriving at that conclusion by peaceable means. He hoped to have the pleasure of meeting Signor Mussolini at Lausanne. Our friendship with America was a traditional principle of British policy. Lord Curzon said: “We shall pay our debt to America. The Chancellor of the Exchequer will go to America at the end of the year to conduct the ne- | gotiations which Sir Robert Horne was to have undertaken. I have not rei garded the League of Nations as merely a great conception too ideal for this 1 world. It is a practical body, and useful as an instrument to settle certain i international disputes. ! THE CHALLENGE OF TURKEY. ' “The position in the Near East at ! the present moment constitutes a. most ■ definite menace to the world’s peace. Events duriijg the last twenty-four hours have dealt rather a rude shock to expectations of the Mudania Conference and Lausanne. The policy of the Turks is one of Nationalism gone wild. It is almost suicidal in character. The pretensions of the Turks cannot be tolerated. They have not. any conceivable justification. They are an affront to the Allies and a challenge to Europe. “There is absolute accord between the Allied generals and the High Commissioners on the spot. I trust this unity, ratified by the Governments, will be maintained. We are prepared to maintain it, and we are prepared to make our contribution towards its maintenance, but if it is broken, owing to no action of our own. we shall be unable to support the burden alone.” Lord Curzon appealed to the country to sustain the Government in its common acts, and to strengthen its hands in defence of the honor of the flag- “ Turkey must learn that there is limit to concessions, and that we cannot purchase peace, at the cost of humiliation and disgrace. Turkey must learn that the strength of Britain and the might of Europe are rocks . against which she will hurl herself in vain.”