The New York herald., 1921-11-16

Hr. Chairman: You have invited
those who desire to continue the
discussion which began on Satur-
day, last. ! think it would be very
unfortunate IL we were to allow
the events of Saturday to pass
without some further observation
on the part of those to whom you,
Mr.. Chairman, addressed your
speech and Of for any reason
which I shall venture to explain
in a moment. I am the first to
take up the challenge, it is be-
cause Of all the powers here as
sembled the country which I rep
resent is, as everybody knows, the
most intimately interested In all
naval questions.
Statesmen OF all countries are
beginning to discover that the la
bors and difficulties of peace are
almost as a.duous and require al
most as great qualities as those
which are demanded for the con-
duct of o successful war.
This struggle to restore the
world to the condition OF equi-
librium, so violently interfered
with by FIVE years Of war, is one
that taxes and must tax tho efforts
OF everybody. And l congratulate
you, If I may. Mr.. Chairman. on
the fact that you have added the
new anniversary which will hence
sartb be celebrated IN connection
With this movement toward recon-
struction In the same spirit IN
which we welcomed the anniver-
gary celebrated only q few hours
ago, on the day on which hostil-
tiles came to an end. If the 11th
OF November In the minds OF the
allied and associated powers--ia
the minds perhaps not less OF all
the neutrals--if that is date i'm
printed on grateful hearts. think
November l2 will also prove to be
an anniversary welcomed and
thought Of In a grateful spirit By
those who in the future shall look
back upon the arduous struggle
now being made by the civilized
nations OF the world. not merely
to restore pre-war conditions, but
10 see that war canditions shall
never again exist.
count myself among the for
tunate OF the earth in that l was
present. and to that extent had
share in the proceedings OF last
Saturday. They were memo able
indeed. The secret was admirably
kept. hope that all the secrets.
so long as they ought TO be Sc
crets. of our discussions will be
as well kept. In my less sangu.ne
mood / have doubts. But, how
ever that may be. the secret In
this case was most admirably kept,
and listened to speech which
thought eloquent. appropriate, IN
every way a fitting prelude TO the
work OF the conference which was
about TO open or which indeed had
been opened by the President.
without supposing that anything
very dramatic lad behind. And
suddenly I became aware, as l
suppose all present became aware,
al
merely at au eloquent and ad-
mirable speech but at a great his
torical event, IL was led up with
such art. The transition seemed
SO natural that when the blow fell.
when the speaker uttered the
memorable words which have now
gone round and found an echo
i'm every quarter OF the civilized
world, il came as a shock OF pro-
found surprise: II excited thet6rt
OF emotions we have when sshe
wholly new event sud denly springs
into view, and we felt that n new
chapter In the history of world
reconstruction had been warily
opened.
Mr.. Chairman. the absolute SIM
plicity OF the procedure. the easy
transition and the great dramatic
climax were the perfection of art,
which shows that the highest art
and the most perfect simplicity
are very often. indeed very COM
monty, combined.
Now. I said I would explain X
! was allowed. why / venture to
rise first to-day TO deal with the
subject which is In all our hearts.
AS have limited. 1t Is because the
British Empire and Great Britain.
these two together. are more pro-
foundly concerned with all that
touches matters naval than IL is
possible for any other nation to
be, and this not. believe me. for
any reasons Of ambition, not for
any reasons drawn from history
or tradition. but from the hard,
brutal necessities OF claims and
obvious facts.
There never has been in the his
tory Of the world a great empire
constituted as the British Empire
A.. vt 4. An fact no dnt,ct fa rniliaf