France and Article XVI ' A very significant docuinent, which
no English paper except the Manchester Guardian appears to have noticed, was circulated by the French Delegation at Geneva on Tuesday. It consists of a reasoned defence of the action of the League in pronouncing Article XVI of the COvenant applicable to Italy in the present conflict, though it was ignored in the ease of certain earlier disputes. What- ever may be thought of the explanations adduced for the failure to apply Article XVI in the case of the Sino- Japanese and Bolivia-Paraguay disputes, what is striking is that the French Government (for the delegation is, of course, under the direction of M. Laval) should be thus taking its stand boldly on Article XVI in face of its sustained denunciation by a large section of the French Press. This may reasonably be regarded as concrete evidence of the stiffening of M. Laval's attitude reported in general terms by various British correspondents at Geneva—though it of course leaves the delegation free to put its own interpretations on the obligations embodied in the Article.
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