OCR Text |
Show The Sanctity of Treaties Nat-ons may be justified in hesitating hes-itating to trust or believe in the pledged word of other countries. It has become entirely too common com-mon for government to repud ate their obligations, either financial or political. The ordinary citizen of the United Slates has heard often of the "war debts" owed to this country by its former 'allies, all of whom, except one cr two small matiens, having disregarded their promises to pay, los ng sight of the fact that much of the credit extended was after the actual fghing had ceased and the amounts now due represent a very generous scaling down of the cb-liga.tio.ia cb-liga.tio.ia which they voluntarily assumed. Italy had a treaty with Ethiopia by which she recognized and promised to protect the sovereignty of the latter country. Japan had specfically and voluntarily acknowledged ack-nowledged Chinese ownership- of their own land and agreed to maintain their sovereignty. Both countries were also more scCemnly bound by the League of Nations covenant and the Kellogg-Briand Pact. Yet, both of these nations are proceeding ruthlessly and se'.f-ishiy se'.f-ishiy in violation of ther pl.ghted word. Germany has done likewise. Notwithstanding Not-withstanding free acceptance, in the Locarno Treaty, it has repudiated repud-iated a demilitarized Rhineland, send ng its soldiers once mere to man the watch on the Rhine. This act seriously endangered European peace because It almost invited the French to make war Immediately Immedi-ately rather than wait a lew more years for what Frenchmen think is an Inevitable struggle. |