Evening star., 1921-05-16
Editorial Digest
Disarmament POSTPONED.


The storm of protest" which the
Pittsburgh Sun (democratic) declares
has been evoked by President Hard
ing's declaration against inviting dis
lcussion of armament reduction seems
to be limited almost entirely to news
papers which disagree with the ad-
minlstration's foreign policies. 1t is
true. however. that the supporters of
the PRESIDENT in his opposition to the
horah anne ndment to the naval appro-
priationS bill for the most part de-
lehd ms action on one of two grounds,
ihaHlelH. mat the senator's action is
an attempt at encrOachment on the
| powers Of tn" executive or that the
!!me is not ripe for international par
itSS on ms subject. rather than on
! me @ merits Of disarmament itself.
me ia ltimore Sun Cindepcndent
idemocrdtic) finds it "encouraging' to
hear that while Mr.. Harding opposes
the incorporation in the naval appro-
prIatIons bill of Senator Borah's dis
armament amendment. he may soon
hane hinoi something to say. to Congress
| nimself on the subject" IT, it adds.
the President really understands the
strength Of public sentiment as to
this question" he will mot much long
er delay announcement of nositive
policy"
! The Detroit News Gndependent)
| thinks 'it is to be regretted" that the
J House did not make provision for
disarmament" in passing the naval
appropriations bill. for by so doing
I !. missed an .opnortunity" for rad
lca d"c.ara ton" of a disarmament
policy which would exercise a pow
erfnl influence" among tn. world
! powers.
IN" resolution 20 this effect which
was offered has smoked Inc presi
he hot
.democratic) declares: The latter is
lor diSarmament--Some other time,
hen he has succeeded in rounding
OUT tAe greatest Navy in the world
ana when the taxpayers are more
! thoroughly exhausted. he will be
ready for disarmament. maybe"
| 10 the Philadelphia Record Gnde-
pendent democratic) it is simply
question whether we shall have a
reduction in armaments" or "a bigger
tive both the Wheeling Register
tdemocratic) and the Reno Gazette
(republican) emphatically resent.
with another hundred millions "hook.
ed on the appropriations bill. the
| Register asks If this is the kind of
says the Gazette: There is no need
OF a larger Navy and the committee
should know it. There is nothing to
rear from Japan. nothing from France
| or ltaiy. certainly nothing from Ger
many. and the pretense of any danger
II makes the country laugh"
president Harding's course is SIM
ply ''Napoleonism. 1921" to the Louis
VILE Courier journal tdemocratic): :
| Napoleon is dead. but Napoleonism
still lives. 1t is getting its oxygen
from the naval bill. /, IS getting it's
blood from the President of the
United States. more powerful po-
| tentate than Genghis Khan or julius
caesar or the great Alexander ever
dreamed of being
However. this is not the view of the
majority apparently, nor is the ques-
ton one entirely of party affiliation
The Florida Times Union tdemo-
cratic). for instance. thinks that
Borah and his followers are in too
big a hurry" The indianapolis Star
independent republic) points out that
"Mr. Harding has pledged himself to
reduction in armament which does
{ not mean that the national security
must be threatened by excessive SEN
tIrnent or undue haste"
! The New York Tribune irepub-
lican says: Broader DEVELOPMENT"
| is still needed in the Navy. But
that development" it adds, will not
! necessarily interfere with a !imita-
ton on capital ship building" The
Boston Transcript independent re-
| Poo'i'dHI Ctpi cSScS llSeIl IN Il SIM
| liar vein: There will be ample time
, to deal with disarmament when we
! come to negotiate treaties with the
! principal allied and associated pow
| ers and with the central powers to
protect our rights arising from our
| contribution to the common victory
| over the common enemy"
| A number of writer's base their ap-
proval Of the Presidents attitude
! toward the Borah resolution on the
principle of executive rights and
| powers: "a resolution cannot be made
It command to the executive" says
| the Toledo Blade independent re
pubiican). Undertaking to direct
| the President" is wrong. the San
. Francisco Chronicle independently
forward cause "of which there
is no stronger advocate" than the
Chronicle declares itself to be. In
resisting such a tendency. the Mobile
Register (democratic) feels that the
President is conforming "to the best
the Port Huron Times Herald inde-
pendent) suggests that Mr.. Harding
surely is in better position to
determine when is the wisest time"
ITO open negotiations. If then. for
| mington star (democratic) puts it,
| the President does not desire to act.
cit should not he forced upon him
| to his embarra ssment"
To the Cincinnati Commercial Trib-
une frepublican) and the New Lon
don Day republican) the difference
that has arisen is not one of ideas
but Of the means Of working them
out. The latter says: Senator Borah
| is out of order. Any one but Borah
| would understand that. His idea Of
promoting disarmament is right. but
his method is wrong" and the Com
mercial Tribune points out that there
| "is no marked difference of opinion
as between parties or Legislators and
the executive as to the wisdom and
desirability of Army and Navy cur
tailment to the lowest feasible basis.
The differences go largely as to
methods of approach and details of
program"