The New York herald., 1921-11-13
SUNDAY. NOVEMBER IS. 1921.
The Presidents Armament Plan.

lhe PRESIDENTS Armament Plan.
In behalf of the United States and
through Secretary HUGHES President
HARDING yesterday struck dumb the
members of the Conference for the
Limitation OF Armament with a per-
manent peace proposal neither vague
nor theoretical but practical and
specific. 1t was so unexpected, so
sudden, so dramatic by sheer force
OF what it meant to all humanity
that it will startle the whole world.
With calm, impressive earnestness
Secretary HUGHES told the great
Powers in almost so many words that
the conference had been called by the
Chief Executive of this Government
not to become debating society and
to pass resolutions but to take up a
plain business proposition and reach
action on it. In the most explicit
terms he set forth exactly what the
bankrupting squander on military
machines if the other two great naval
Powers, Great Britain and Japan,
would do what this country conceived
to be their essential part in this pro-
gramme to keep the world out Of
receiverships.
1t is not necessary here to go into
technical discussion of how the
United States would fare on Mr..
HARDING's proposed balance of naval
power and other military weapons.
army and navy experts and advisers
are satisfied that our scrapping a
capital ship total tonnage of zoo
would leave us relatively, if not ade-
quately, secure as against Great Brit
ain with 5sS,0OO tons scrapped and
Japan with 443, 900 scrapped.
The thing for us and for the world
to realize, acknowledge and acclaim
is that for the first time in all the
history of propaganda, parleys and
appeals ON the prevention of war n
Government-our own Government
of the United States-has offered the
Powers for immediate adoption and
fulfilment this effective programme
based on sound, safe and workable
principles.
Our Government has said, Here is
what we will do. What will you do?"
Either the other Powers, bending
under their war burdens, must also
put all their cards on the table, say
what they will do and then do it, or
the clamor Of nations and races for
disarmament and other ways and
means to make war impossible can
come to nothing. II the delegates
can refuse to join in such a pro.
gramme and can go home to face
their peoples whose hearts must be
thrilling to-day with the message
from the United States, what hope
is there that the Powers of the Old
World ever will set their faces away
from militarism for good and all?
This programme of President HAIR
DING. in truth, while definitely and
surely showing how TO save billions
OF dollars now destroyed in a welter
of armament squander, does not pro-
pose, does not suggest, the stripping
Of any nation of its reasonable de-
fence. 1t does not mean to expose
any people to rash hazards. On the
contrary, as Secretary HUGHES told
the delegates, while it will make
stupendous savings, tighten the crush
ing load under which the Old World
staggers and permit vast treasure
now no better than burned up to be
employed in the usual economic chan
nels for the Advancement of civiliza-
tion, still "tbe just interests of all
shall be adequately guarded and ma
tional security and defence shall be
maintained"
This great, this splendid, this world
impressive proposal OF the United
States. in short, is not visionary and
footless evangelism; it is practical
business.