The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-11-25
BRAND TALK
DELIVERED TO
Save HIS JOB
Would Have Risked Office
Had He Agreed to Land
Disarmament = Speech
Made To Be Read at Home.
PESSIMISM UNFOUNDED
ny MARK SULLIVAN

lhto state OF mind where they take
for granted things that the more dic-
tant public does not see so clearly
rev of us in Washington-at least
lew of the Americans who are dis
interested - share the pessimism
which seems to have colored public
discussion of the disarmament con-
ference during the last day or two
This pessimism seems to have start
ed with Brands speech at noon on
Tuesday. Properly understood Bri-
anqs speech is not a cause for pessl-
mism. More truly it is a cause for
optimism in that it was a final ex-
preston of a spirit of compromise
within the conference.
To understand Brands speech you
must understand that ne was talking
primarily for France to hear rather
than for the conference. BRAND is
premier of France and his hold on the
office Is precarious. In France, they
have practice difficult for Amert-
cans to understand In France, when
a premier does or says something un-
popular, he goes out of office auto
matically. For example, if the letter
that President Harding wrote TO con
gress asking for lower surtaxes had
been written by BRAND to the French
chamber of deputies. and if the cham
her of deputies had done what our
congress did, namely, refused 10 fol-
low Harding's leadership, then Hard
ing. if he were the premier of France,
would have gone out of office auto
matically, and the leader of the op-
position would have taken his place
Episode Puzzles.
Most of the foreign delegates to the
conference who followed this episode
in congress were puzzled TO understand
how it was that the day after that
episode. Mr.. Harding was still in the
White House. BRAND in his speech
on Tuesday had to avoid saying any
thing that might have caused the pres
cnt exigencies of French politics to
vote hi mout of office before he left
America.
THAT speech was what American
politicians call "a leave to address the
house" speech. or "a leave to print"
speech. II was designed. as many
speeches in congress are designed, not
to affect pending legislation, but to be
read by the voters back home.
The other members of the confer
ence understood Mr.. Brands position
perfectly and as politicians, sympath-
ICED with it. They were entirely will
ing to let him take a position which
was practically refusal TO submit 70
limitation of armament on land.
The concession that led Mr.. BRAND
to make the speech he did IS sign
of the success of the conference, not
OF its failure.
Expected Something.
France expected BRAND TO get some
thing big out of the conference. She
expected him to bring home guar
antee of support from Great Britain
and the United States. 1t did not
take BRAND long to learn that he
could not get that. Since he had tc
20 home empty handed, the conference
was quite willing he should be per
mitted to make the speech he did
That was all carefully arranged before
hand.
1t is true that the limitation of lane
armament is officially on the confer
ence agenda. But the men who are
dominant in the conference always re
garded it as minor subject, and are
not much disturbed by the fact tha
nothing is to be done about it. The
two main subjects of the conference
the limitation of armament on the ses
and problems of the Far Etast, are
progressing with a speed and degree
of satisfaction that literally, nobod,
anticipated.
Mr.. Hughes in his speeches and Ills
cussons always shows unconciousl,
what he regards the main purpose o
the conference to be.
Whenever MIR. Hughes gets around
as he does with frequency which /
in itself significant. 10 saying tha
offensive war on the sea must b.
made Impossible" he puts an empha
sis on the words which reveals com
pletelv what he conceives the mali
purpose to be. That purpose is a.
ready achieved All the discussion i
about details. and no one of those de
tails will be settled in the end in an
such way as 10 jeopardize the mail
purpose
British. French in Clash
II is true there is a good deal o
feeling between the British and tn
French, and between the Italians an
the French. Both these nations fee
more resentment over Mr.. BRAND
speech than either of them has public
ly uttered.
There was gossip within the confer
ence room TO the erect tnaL when III
Italian chief delegate replied to Nj
Brands speech, it had been his II
tention to do some plain talking. Bu
any bellicose intentions he may hav
had were made impossible by the gel
erosity of the speech in which NJ
Balfour replied.
Mr.. Balfour was undoubtedly usin
the arts of diplomacy, and if he ha
expressed the true feelings of tn
British he would have talked wit
some rancor,; nevertheless. Balfou
and the others who are really dom
nant in the conference understand tn
situation and are willing to let tn
reduction in the size of Frances mi
itary establishment wait.
Great Britain feeling about Frenc
is not solely directed toward the siz
of her army, but in larger degre
at her attitude about economic ma
ters on the continent of Europe.
AS between France and Italy, nov
ever, there is real feeling about tn
Continued on ge Ten)