Mr. Anthony Eden, British Foreign Secretary, has lately been advising the English public that he has "the backing of both sides" in the Spanish quarrel for his determination that the territorial integrity of Spain shall not be violated. But it is difficult to suppose that Mr. Eden actually believes anything so improbable. Certainly, if Mr. Eden is right, the journalists who supply our common information are all wrong.

For, according to the journalists, General Franco today has little support among the Spanish people. His armies are mainly made up, we are told, of Moors, and of Italians and Germans; and indisputably, they are armed almost entirely with Italian and German arms. Indeed, we are constantly told by the foreign correspondents, and tacitly, at least, by Herr Hitler's and Signor Mussolini's own newspapers, that the whole so-called "revolution" has been from the first an Italian and German project, directed to the end of setting up a puppet government in Spain. And if Spain is to be ruled from Berlin and Rome behind the mask of Franco, it is idle to talk of territorial integrity, regardless of whether the Fascist nations formally take over a part of the country or not.

But, as a matter of fact, it seems clear that they do mean to take over part of it. At this very moment, if all the available reports are to be believed, the isle of Majorca is occupied by an Italian army and openly ruled by Italian officials. And if anybody supposes that Mussolini will voluntarily surrender a prize of such enormous military value, he thinks the Signor is less determined than we do.