The Appeals for Peace
If war breaks out it will not be for lack of powerful appeals for peace. The Pope, President Roosevelt, King Leopold of the Belgians, M. Daladier, the Prime Minister of Canada, have all voiced in wise but forcible language the hope universally held throughout the world that the differ- ences between Germany and Poland may be settled by other means than war. Of these Mr. Roosevelt's and M. Daladier's stand out, the latter both on account of its admirable phras- ing and because it elicited from Herr Hitler a lengthy reply in which for the first time (apart from Press clamour) he laid definite claim to the so-called Corridor as well as Danzig. President Roosevelt, with all the authority attaching to his great office, appealed simultaneously to Germany and Poland to settle their disputes either by direct discussion or by the process of arbitration or conciliation. President Moscicki at once assented. Herr Hitler made no reply, but Mr. Roose- velt transmitted to him the Polish acceptance, urging that it provided still further reason for an acceptance by himself. That was on Saturday ; at the time of writing no acknow- ledgement had been made by Herr Hitler of either message from Washington. But if Mr. Roosevelt has failed to prevent war he has at least displayed before the eyes of the world the contrasted attitudes of the two disputants. There is con- siderable moral value in that.
