South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1920-01-11
BY MAJ. GEN. SIR F. MAURICE

plans prepared the postwar forces and
very much doubt if in any Of them the League Of
Nations covenant is regarded factor to be con
sidered in shaping those plans. Armaments are OF
course. being reduced much below the standard,
peoples looking a very material reduction
in the old standard to the abolition OF the armed
Europe and the people of this country at least
hopeful of seeing compulsory military service dis
appeaer from the continent deduction OF ornaments
that kind will follow upon the establishment of
general of security, that is to say it is dependent
mainly upon the Influence Of public opinion. which
is necessarily slow i'm operation.
SECURITY THE PRELIMINARY.
may be taken for granted that all reasonable
in civilized countries sincerely anxious to make
another the last impossible in the future; 1t may
be taken granted that reasonable persons
cognze that such another war would almost certainly
the destruction of civilization have known
be taken for granted that people
will dsarm thoroughly and drastcally while they feel
they are in The renotest danger Of attack. have
done away with conscripton and are eager reduce
our army essential for the police Of the
ire but are we urenared to in,peril the supreme
position Of our navy
The recent elections have shown that there
demand any considerable body of the French
people for the abolition of CONSUMPTION. If desire
supreme fleet France is no less impressed by the ne
cessity of having supreme army, and when the time
both and France will doubtless present to
the league council most convincing for this
of affairs. Italy is in much the position
while the United had before the
army which was not large enough her needs, and
proposing that her army Of the future shall be
siderly larger than that of 1914
But will be said, this is absurd and indefensible
things The allies have the the cen
trail powers have been reduced to position of mpO
tence and Austrian fleets have ceased to
the size Of the German and Austrian armies
by treaty the advice of experts spec
tally charged with the designing means for
moving the danger Of military aggression the future
by our late enemies What grounds have France and
Italy anxiety our is entirely different
have found immense and scattered empire. and we
must safeguard cOmmunca tons. \ fleet
invade country and therefore it is defensive.
aggressive weapon.
DISARMAMENT BY TREATY.
The plain fact is no one yet has any real faith
in the efficacy of treaties a of reducing
armaments. Attempts past prevent nations
arming themselves when they desired do have
failed. conspicuous example being the
been crushed by Napoleon in 1906. after had gar
her fortresses and after he had imposed
her conditions which. he thought would efectualy
destroy her of placing large armies in the field
The PrusSian soldiers succeeded in outwitting Ma
poleon and from 1918 Waterloo Prussia great
part in concentrating the downfall OF the emperor.
Bismarck thought in 1871 that by taking Alsace-Lor
which included the Metz
Strassbourg, from France and by imposing her
a huge indemnity, he had deprived her her position
great military power. but the recovery OF France
astonished the world History teaches that If a nation
IS arm, either itself foreign
yoke avenge past defeats treaties be
Vised and enforced which will make such a
impossible. The great has shown that a strug-
gle for national existence the OF nation depends
mainly upon the number of of military age which
IL can place in the field. has shown given
"a sufhcienCy instructors the citizen a modern
civilized country turned a soldier far more
quickly than possible in the days when the