The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1911-04-07
GERMAN CHANCELLOR
SAYS ARBITRATION
IS FRU|TLESS FAD
DISCUSSES DISARMAMENT, BUT
SAYS PLAN WILL NEVER
WORK.
STRONGER NATIONS PREVAIL
Won eethman HoIwees, in an Address
to kaiser's Congress, Says General
Disarmament Is Absolutely lmprac
cable and viii not Come to Pass.


BERLIN, March 31.-Chancellol
Won -Holwegg in the ieich
stag today discussed disarmament
and international arbitration, but
without departing one iota from the
well known standpoint of the German
government, often declared on for
mer occasions.
The imperial chancellor saw the
chief difficulty in a disarmament
agreement in the impossibility Of SUI
pervision of individual states.
Control over these" he said, Il re.
gard as absolutely impracticable. The
mere attempt to control would Rave
no other result than continual mutual
distrust and universal turmoil. Gen.
eral disarmament is an insoluble
problem as long as men are men
ut will remain true" continued
the chancellor, that the weak will be
the prey of the strong. II any ma.
ton feels that 1t is unable longer to
spend certain sums for defensive pur.
poses it will inevitably drop to the
second rank. There will always be a
stronger one ready to take its place.
We Germans in our exposed position
cannot shut our eyes to this dire real.
ity, only so far as We can maintain
peace.
"The nations, including Germany"
said the chancellor, have been talk
ing disarmament snce the first Hague
conference, but neither in Germany
nor elsewhere has a practical plan
been proposed. Great Britain wishes
the limitation of ornaments, but sim
ultaneously wants superior or equal
fleet, Any conference on this subject
is bound to be fruitless. No standard
for limitation can be found, and
and conceivable proposal would be
shattered on the question of control"
Won Bethmann-Hollweg instanced
Napoleon's limitation of the Prussian
army, when Prussia, adhering to the
letter of her treaty, trained a four
fold army by shortening the period of
training. Germany was willing, he
said, to accept the English proposal
for an exchange Of information re-
garding navy building programs. He
accepted the idea of arbitration In
principle, but universal arbitration
was as impossible of accomplishment
as universal disarmament, he said.
By this principle two nations like the
United States and Great Britain could
seal the de facto status, but if new
questions arose, arbitration might
prove inadequate
The chancellor's speech, which was
along the line of his earlier utter
ances, was made in the discussion of
the resolutions offered by the social
lists and radicals, asking for an extern
sion of international arbitration and
the limitation Of armament
These resolutions came before the
house at the opening of the customary
debate on foreign acairs in connec-
ton with the chancellors budget. The
chancellor deferred his remarks until
the representatives of the leading par
ties had been heard.
Count Won Canitz, conservative, de-
voted the greater part of his speech
to American affairs, contrasting the
speech of Commander William l..
Sims, of the American navy at the
at the Guild Hall, London, which call
ed forth reprimand from President
Taft, with the utterances of Congress
man Champ Clark concerning the an
nexation Of Canada, saying:
while an American naval officer
IL assuring England Of the friendship
Of the United States, future presi- |
dent Of that nation IL talking of the
absorption Of Canada"
-