The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1910-07-21

United States and Great Britain, the
record says that Lord Castlereagh
wanted to prevent contest for ma
val ascendancy. He proposed free
commercial navigation of the lakes
if the United States Government
would not preserve or construct any
Notifications within limited distance
of the shores, or maintain or con-
struct any armed vessel in the course
of the rivers emptying into them
The first definite proposal to disarm
came from Albert Gallatin. Sept 6
1914. For several years the PROPOSE
ton was pending. Each of the CON-
batants in the war just closed was
suspicious of the other and it seemed
at times as if the project was wholly
chimercial. Yet each nation saw its
| self-interest, and on April 2S, 1917, a
| final agreement was reached between
Charles Bagot, the Minister of Great
Britain to the United States, and
Richard Rush, the Secretary of State
of the United States. The agreement
made by these two men was as fol-
! lows:
| 81. The naval forces henceforth tC
be maintained upon the Great Lakes
y
sells on each side:
20. On Lake Ontario one vessel, not
to exceed one hundred tons burden
and one 1S-pound cannon.
"3. On the Upper lakes two vessels
of the same burden and armed in 6
like way.
a. On Lake Champlain one yes.
IF lilo oO6 mont
"5. All other armed vessels to be
at once dismantled and no other YES
sci of war shall be built or armed
along the st. Lawrence River or the
Great Lakes.
Both sides kept this agreement ii
good faith. and the dismantling OF
the war vessels followed promptly af'
ter the agRement was reached. Sue
cess may be attained in other cases il
it could be in this. Here the the two
nations had just been at war with
each other. Suspicion would have
been plausible. Very naturally eacf
side might have failed to carry out
its agreement on the ground that
the other could not be trusted. If the
pessimistic view of the conduct Of
nations to each other under such cir
cumstances is the sound one, ther
any disarmament is hopeless, no mat
ter what agreements are reached
But the accomplished fact proved
that nations will act honorably under
such conditions and that it is safe tC
rely upon the national honor. II
Great Britain and the United States
could trust each other and disarn
under those conditions, other nations
certainly, when they have not been a.
war for q long time, can follow the
precedent. In 1912 the United States
had forty-siX forts along its Canadi'
an frontier and Canada had about as
many. Each nation had a consider
able naval armament on the lakes,
The fores were destroyed. The ships
were dismantled, and neither fort mol
warship has ever been built since tC
vex the frontier on either side-and
the peace has been kept absolutely
The rights of the two nations have
been preserved. Neither has suffered
the slightest encroachment upon its
national honor, and an example has
been set to all the world. 1t is g
! reasonable prediction that that eX'
ample will yet be abundantly fruitful
( in the relations of the nations to each
other"
These facts are interesting or
broad general principles and more
particularly because Lake Champlain
formed a part of the international wa
tiers included in these negotiations
In 1914 will occur the centenary OF
the Battle of Plattsburg the last OF
the many battles fought on and about
Lake Champlain.
The argument in favor of disarma-
ment is a powerful one, and it is to
be hoped that long before another
century has elapsed the great ma
tons of the earth will have disband-
ed their armies and navies with the
exception of small forces for police
protection, and will have adopted the
great principles of arbitration for
the settlement of all international
quarrels.