The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1921-12-04
LONDON. Dec. ..

struck by the intense interest that
the American people are displaying
In the conference on the reduction
of ornaments. which IL now taking
place. Several csuse. have contrib
uted to swell the volume of popular
approval which the Presidents &C.
ton has received. and to stimulate
the eagerness shown on all hands in
desiring that q happy result should
be reached.
There Is. to begin with. q natural
desire to secure q reduction in the
scale Of Federal taxation. which is
still very high. and this wish Ii all
the stronger because business has
been. and Ii still. severely depressed.
The rank and file Of the United
States army has already been 40
much reduced as to be now not very
far above the figure at which II used
to stand before the war. But besides
the expenditure upon artillery.
which remains considerable, the cost
of the navy continues to be extreme
ly heavy. large sums having been
already voted. Economic considera.
tons. however. have been neither
the most important nor the most in
teresting reason for the earnestness
Of the American wish to have mill
tary spendings reduced. Although
the Presidential election a year ago
appeared to show a decided reaction
against President Wilson's plan of
League of Nations, that reaction
was largely due to temporary and
personal GAUGES. and other tenden.
cies have now begun to show them
selves.
COMPLETENESS OF VICTORY.
The completeness of tho victory
won by the allied and associated
powers In 1918 had led the people to
expect a correspondingly complete
deliverance from any fear OF an
other world conflict and had inspired
hopes that the time had at last ar
rived when swords could be safely
beaten into ploughshares and spears
into pruning hooks. When. there
fore, the Americans were told that
great navy must still be maintained
because other powers were continu-
ing to expend vast sums upon war
preparations. there wns a general
disappointment. Why. 1t was asked,
should these powers persist in build
Ing warships at an enormous cost.
when the navies of their German
and Austrian enemies had been an
initiated. when those navies could
not be reconstructed. and when no
renewal Of a naval war was to be
expected for years and years to
conner Are the victorious powers
really going to begin de capo to
make preparations for another con.
flict? Is not this tho time. II ever
a time is to come, for leaving off an
Improbable and unnecessary ex.
penditure on munitions of war? The
American people. although they de-
velop a vehement fighting spirit
when actually engaged in fighting.
are in normal times far moro pacific
in temper than any Of the European
nations. and to most of them war
seems to be almost . relic Of bar
barism. This may be due largely to
their having had nothing to fear on
their own continent. but there the
fact il.
There has. moreover. remained In
many quarters. despite what was
represented 6or misrepresente0 as
a decisive declaration against the
League Of Nations. . strong sense
that America has q duty to tho
world to do Der best for the preser-
walton Of general peace. Ono IL
constantly assured that tho election
Of 1920 must not be understood a.
conveying any reputation Of such
a duty. any desire that the great
Republic Of the West should stand
apart in a self contained and self
satisfied isolation, looking from
afar on the troubles Of the Old
World, with the pleasure which the
ancient poet attributed to those who
watch from the land the peril Of
storm-tossed mariners. Thus. the
Washington conference rises before
the minds Of many Americans as AZ
fording an opportunity by which
America may discharge her duty
TO mankind, and in that sense they
welcome It. The Importance at
tached to the occasion has been
shown by the course. unusual but
sanctioned by public opinion. which
the President took when he recently
suggested that prayers should be
everywhere offered up on behalf Of
the conference.
II is generally assumed In the
United States that British sentiment
is entirely favorable to the project.
Favorable 1t certainly ought to be.
for Britain has obviously even more