The Columbus dispatch. (Columbus, Miss.) 19??-1922, 1921-02-16
THE UNITED STATES AND DIS
az p ARMAMENT.

AMMAN Th4N Il.
The subject of disarmament has
a perennial interest, though it is
largely academic, judged by the flu
tility of all past discussions of the
subject and the lack Of realization Of
practical results. Just now the
world is experiencing recurrence of
the talk of disarmament, ard thought
full people are wondering if the pres
ent discussion will end where past
discussions have always ended--in
just talk? There are, however, a
number of tangible suggestions being
offered at the present time that
might encourage the hope for prac-
tical results in actual disarmament.
The League of Nations itself is a
greats boOa to our hopes, for never
before have so many nations of the
world Been brought together in one
great deliberative body as were rep
resented recently in the first meet
ing of the League Assembly at Cen
eva. When, however, the question
Of disarmament was proposed in that
meeting the first real snag was Ell
countered. Japan promptly dissent
ed, saying that it would be suicidal
for her or any Nother nation to dis
arm when ii, vast announced from
America that the greatest program
of increasing naval ornaments ever
launched was about to be undertaken.
Japan may or may not have been sin
cere in the reason she assigned for
her opposition to disarmament, but
the logic of her, position was incon-
trovertible. No nation could afford
to disarm so long as the Giant of the
New World withheld her pledge oil
cooperation. And that pledge being
withheld, the movement in behalf OF
disarmament at Geneva went fol-
naught.
America, therefore, stands in the
same relation to the rest of the
world today that Germany occupied
in 1899 and 1907 when she blocked ar
international disarmament agreement
at the Hague Peace Conference
There is, however, this difference
that Germany refused to join the
other nations Of: the world in dis
armament agreement out Of selfish
reasons and because of Interior de-
signs upon other nations, whereas
our position is circumstantial and is
brought about by our failure to enter
the League of Nations That failure
as is well known, was due to the ma
chinations of a small group of sinis-
ter politicians who were willing to
make political capital at the expense
of the peace of the world, and who
were willing to resort to any means
to discredit the ablest statesman who
ever occupied the Presidency of oul
country. Our national position is not
inconsistent; either we must joir
with the other nations of the world
or we must prepare to maintain oul
impossible isolation. The Secretary
of the Navy made this clear in ask
ing for the large appropriation fol-
the increase of naval armament. II
our nation continues to withhold its
influence and it's membership from
the League of Nations, it shall in
creasingly occupy a precarious anc
delicate position, and the prophecy Of
the German Bernhard may come
true. He has prophesied that the next
great war will be between tie United
States and the rest of the world. II
that ever should come, our nation
would have just about the same
chance that Germany had when she
was faced by the organized force of
the world in the fateful years lying
between 1914 and 1918.
That there can be no enduring
peace without disarmament is GER
tain. Consider the opinions of two
great military authorities, General
Tasker II. Bliss, formerly chief of
staff of the U. S. Army, who sat at
Paris during the crucial Gays o.