New-York tribune., 1920-05-08
light, and an eight

Mr.. Cochran read the resolutions
committee report as soon as the con-
ference opened. He said in part:
The Democracy Of New York most
earnestly and urgently represent to the
Democracy of the country and the
democracy OF the world that unless
q the appalling caIamities now afflicting
4 ne-half of the population of Europe
be speedily ended they must soon over
take and overwhelm the entire human
I family, Already these disasters are
projecting sinister shadows over the
entire globe. Even in this country.
4 which escaped the direct ravages of
& war, conditions of life have become so
t difficult that weekly wage of $40
has now but the purchasing power of
( Slo five years ago.
d obviously. if the cost of living con-
tinuese TO advance as It has advanced
q during the last few months, the means
& of subsistence in every country will
/ soon be unobtainable by the vast ma
\ jority of it's inhabitants. And the cost
Il of living must continue to increase
everywhere unless the scarcity which
has caused the rise in prices can be re-
placed hy abundance of commodities
essential to support human life.
& There is but one way by whi'h this
! can be effected; every pair of human
+ hands and every remaining dollar of
i capital in the world must be enlisted
E Immediately and actively in productive
: industry; none diverted to war or pre-
parations for war,
The world must disarm or the
world will starve, Partial disarma-
& ment or future disarmament will not
& suffice to avert disaster. Disarma-
& nlent, immediate, universal and COM
plete, Is the absolute essential of de-
liverance from the perils that over
4 hang civilization.
Disarmament Cure For Unrest
Il Disarmament, by turning every pair
II of human hands and every dollar Of
capital remaining in the world from
war and preparations for war to IN
4 dustry and by arresting the divers on
f OF men numbering many millions from
Il the cultivation of the farm and every
field Of production to wasteful Mill
t3ry occupations, would Immediately
reverse the movement of prices from
81 upward to a downward course. The
+ abundance that mast ensuc woGii IN
dohbtediy compose the apprehe 1s:o'ls
and dIstrlst which are causing ihe
& present Unrest ana "Ouiu tnuS OecoNho
t." imntLVable bulwerk of social ordt +.
"The urgent desirability of universal
disarmament is not disputed anywhere.
It's practicability only is questioned in
some places. We affirm that, however,
impracticable disarmament might be
in an imperialistic political system,
in democracy it is not merely prsc-
ticable; it is absolutely essential"
Mr.. Cochran declared that none of
the European countries could maintain
large military establishments and at the
same time reestablish their industrial
life without bankruptcy and ruin. He
urged the democracy of the nation at
the San Francisco convention to de-
clare in its platform that a Demo
cratic administration would willingly
extend all the aid this nation could
afford to countries which have been
devastated by war, subject, however, to
the one condition that no country
obtain cur assistance until it shall
have shown that it is determined
20 employ every dollar of it's own re-
sources in restoring its industries.
No Peace With Big Armies
( "If however" he said, "any country
or countries should establish great
armaments and succeed in maintaining
them without our aid, then this coun-
( try must out-arm any of them and all
of them. If great military forces are
established anywhere we will meet
s them resolutely with greater forces
. in disbanding all military establish
. ments; we will be first in disarmament
if you let us, first in armament if
you make u.s."
( To such an appeal, the speaker said
there could be but one response. All
nations would Immediately meet us
on that plane of equality in disarma-
1.,ent which we ourselves are willing
to accept. Without disarmament, he
declared, peace could never be secured
or lasting
Mr.. Cochran advocated the establish
ment of tribunals before which con-
troversies, which might arise even
under disarmament, could be thrashed
out. He said there could be no doubt
that disarmament would produce a
league of nations, but that it was by
no means clear that a league Of nations
would produce disarmament.
Uncertain Tribute to Wilson
The report paid an uncertain tribute
to President Wilson when it said:
ne whole law and gospel of inter
national justice will be found in the
conditions which President Wilson. at
the close of the war declared to be the
essentials OF permanent peace. No war
was ever waged for any other purpose
than to violate some of the principles
embodied in the fourteen points, which
while the world lasts will remain the
fullest statement and most accurate
definition of international moral law.
+ 'ln an unarmed world the fourteen
points will enforce themselves. Free
dom of the seas would never be
abridged when no country could main
tain navy of overwhelming force to
control or affect the operations of com
merce. Every people, great and small
would be free to establish the govern
ment they desire when no nation would
possess a standing army by which it
could challenge or disturb the right of
q weaker nation to determine the po-
litical conditions of its own existence -
In replying from the floor to Mayor
Lunn's eulogy of President Wilson and
his administrations, Mr.. Cochran said
that he agreed with everything Mr.
Lunn had said about the President up
to the time that My. Wilson went to
Europe. Beyond that he would not go
Predicts Endorsement Later
Mr.. Fitzgerald referred to the fu-
s tility of again indorsing the President
S and his policies, when it was certain
p that a plank TO that effect would be in
serted in the Democratic platform at
q San Francisco He pointed out that the