Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1920-12-23
League Of Nations Recommends
Limitation Of Armaments
by Mutual agreement.
COURT CT JUSTICE ADOPTED
Obligatory Clause, However, ls omi.-
ted-Austria and Bulgaria Admit
ted Is League-Proeress Of
Efforts for an Irish
Settlement.
BY EDWARD w. plcKARp.


IT, as George Nicoll Burnes of En- !.
land asserts. disarmament is the re !
acid test of the success of the Leagl
of Nations. the league cannot yet ie
said to he wholly successful. The :
selnbly ut Geneva last week receive |
the report of the disarmament cor :
.mittee. and though II proved to he a
ratlftr1flabhy production. 1t wus ador-
ed. TIE limitations clause was amen :
ell SO that 1t was merely rec0r
mendation that Irritation Of arm, :
ments he established for the next tw F.,
years through mutual agreemer
among the powers. With respect to
this France made the reservation ths
she was Obliged to restore her arm; :
mentS that lad been worn out by the
war. and Eelgium and Spain made
similar reservations. Then seven na-
tions voted against the limitation
clause. These were France Greece. Po-
land. Roumania. Brazil, Chile and
Uruguay.
Tie committee explained that,
though II was in favor of the speed
lest possible disarmament. It wns
forced to the conclusion that this
could moi vet he accomplished There
are countries with the most powerful
armament building facilities outside
the League" said Delegate Fisher,
"and disarmament can begin only
when II is universal" When the Aus
trinn peace treaty was signed at ST.
Germain. there was also si,ned a
convention for the control Of the traf-
fic in arms and ammunition. but this
has not heen ratified and no steps
have heen taken to make II effective.
The committee suggested that the
council urge the signatorles to ratify
the treaty mt once. though there will
be no authority to control the export
Of arms from the United States.
So far as navy building goes. Sena-
tor Borah. one OF the "irrecOncila-
bles." has plan whereby the United
States can Join in its reduction. He
has introduced in the senate reso!u-
tiOn requesting the President to pro-
pose to Great Britain and Japan an
agreement with the United States for
the curta'lment of navy building by
the three powers, the program Of each
Of them to he reduced annually dur
ing the next five years 80 per cent Of
the present estimates or figures. In
the preamble II is pointed out that the
japanese government has declared to
the world that It could not consent
even to consider program Of disarm-
ament on account of the building pro-
gram Of the United States. "By this
statement" the resolution continues.
"the world is informed and expected
TO believe that japan sincerely desires
to support program Of disarmament,
hut cnnnot do so In safety to herself
on account Of the attitude and build
ing program of this government"
An ind'cat'on Of the possible atti-
tndp Of Great Britain in this matter
is found In the report that the cabinet
the nation Longer to maintain the two
power standard which has been its
policy for many years. The British
program is halted inst now by a DIS
pute as to the relative value of capital
ships and submarines and airplanes.
The general board Of the American
navy is moi at present in accord with
any of the plans for reduction. for II
still urges on congress the need OF
a "ravy second to none" as recon
mended in 1915. II Is convinced thai