The Washington herald., 1920-03-19


Hoover yesterday declared to a rep
resentative OF the Washington Star:
Regardless of what any of US
may think should have been the
provisions of either the league or
the treaty. we and the world should
not be kept waiting longer for a
settlement. The whole process OF
peace has been necessarily one OF
compromises. and SO long as The
final form gives US freedom of ac-
tion and room for constructive de-
veiopment of peace ] believe II
should be accepted
The reservations should satisfy
the most timid as to entanglements.
and despite the feeling of the Pres
ident and his associates that the
strength OF the League is somewhat
undermined, believe that they
should also accept. ! do not be-
lieve that the reservations destroy
the possibility of the creation Of a
potent organization to mitigate the
dangers in front of us, and the AL
ternatives are a continuation Of our
state of war for another year or the
unthinkable thing for us to make q
separate peace after we have gone
so far as to agree In its main lines
Antagonisms Increasing.
"Due to this unsettlement and
other causes that the league would
mitigate, the world Is steadily drift
ing back to a worse state of inter-
national antagonisms than existed
before 1914. The naval strength of
every great nation except the enemy
and Russia has been increased dur
ing the war. Many great armies
have been demobilized, yet the
world Is again engaged In prepared
ness, and the actual number of men
under arms today Is much larger
than before 1914. The worlds total
armament and the military expen-
diture Is larger, despite the burden
Of grinding debt.
mo moderating influences can be
set up until we come to a conclu-
sion and join the league that was
created at our inspiration and upon
which entire theme of settlement
our real hope of a better world
revclves.
'The President seems to feel that
the foundations Of the league rest
upon our participating (subject to
approval of Congress on use of
force) in an obligation to preserve
the territorial integrity and politi-
cal independence oi Its members
against aggression.
Urges Defensive Armament Only.
Without entering upon this
method OF prevention of aggres-
sion, 1 believe a great foundation
of peace does lie in the continuous
functioning of a body OF great in
ternational representatives, sitting
outside the pettiness of day-to-
day international relations. engaged
upon conciliation, the mitigation of
sntagonism, the very effective boy
cott of disturbers through arousal
of public opinion against them and
! through IL the immediate undertak-
ing of disarmament of the world to
a simple defensive footing.
This war surely demonstrates
that nations become aggressive
largely through the permanent mill
tary class that grows out of the
maintenance of large armies and
navies with all the social political,
commercial and propaganda press
ures that naturally spring up around
them. Military groups in these days
always go into action on the claim
of self-defense and to none of them
is aggression held in check against
so-called military necessity. Their
| view of political independence is
! boundaries of purely military char
acter, itself q basis of friction. A
reduction of armament would di-
rectly lessen the influence of these
| groups who are themselves the cul-
! tivators of war.
League VIII Pave Way.
This question of disarmament is
vital issue to US. We are depend
| ent upon our foreign trade for much
Of our prosperity and employment
The naval and military strength OF
the world Is concentrated in fewer
hands. today than in 1914. II there
be the league sitting in development
of methods IF peace, in moderation
and localization of possible conflict
have no doubt that the great ma
! Italian people will be themselves the
first to approve of a reduction OF
naval and other armament, for they
too. are suffering under it's burden
IF We can secure no safety by
disarmament We must tax ourselves
| a couple of billions a year and enter
a race of preparedness and build uI
military caste of our own. 1t Is
rot worth entering the league with
the determination to at once test its
value on the reduction OF armament
to a real defense basis within a
measurable time before We enter
! this race with no goal but misery
and danger"
There are other great practical
issues which should be considered
before We close our only door TO
the immediate solution of this situ-
alton. If the treaty fails of ratifi-
cation now 1t apparently must be
kept on the American stage for a
year, until the next administration,
in which case we remain legally at
war with Germany, or, alternative
ly, we must make a separate peace.
First Course a blockade.
"If the first course is adopted our
citizens would have no right in Ger
many or Austria. NOur passports
would not run there. We would
have no proper equality in trade
with a large portion of Europe. We
do not need to be involved in scores
of treaty commissions dealing with
purely European matters.
yet the reparation commission Is
an accomplished fact and Is the most
powerful economic body in the
world. 1t Is today conducting. with
out our veto, a control that effects
not only our trade in Europe, but
many other interests highly import
ant to us closer to home. Naturally
with us outside the treaty we must
expect the commission to at least
neglect our interests. All, of our
war legislation would still continue