Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-09-14
Wednesday, September II, 1921.
END THE PETTY PICKERING

ing TO btccEi' = IieiiiUei va tiIS
League OF Nations are being featured
BY Some of those who arc finding 1t.
difficult 10 discover grounds for crit
cisinE the present administration.
One correspondent tells US that the
writing home from Geneva that the
withdrawal Of the United States has
paralyzed the League. that while a
short tine ago we were the best liked
nation OH earth We now are the most
disl!ked II may occur to some that
the extent Q? their expectations
hardly does them credit any more
than their unrcasona bic conclusion.
II they expected the United States
could, if y would. smooth out all the
tangicg into which generations OF
stupidity and .riquity had involved
them ard would give them money 10
replace tho crockery broken in their
household rows they were not only
oversar gutne bat Silly so. Rehears
ing al this twaddle for political eff
feet and to discredit in advance the
efforts being made for the conference
to limit ornaments is malicious as
well as mischievous. 1t is gratifying
TO learn that this country has dis
tinguished friends in these foreign
nations, who are not afraid to tell the
truth.
Replying to the plant of Lord
Robert Cecil, A. J. Balfour, with the
clear sense of which he is known to
be capable, tells the Council of it's
blunders in ignoring the United
States when disposing of the man
dates and that the council must make
amends before it can expect the man
date system to work smoothly. Fur
thermore he tells them if they wish
to secure Limitation Of ornaments
they must recognize the necessity of
cooperating with powers outside the
= League; in other words should en-
deavor to make of the Washington
conference a success.
Leon Bourgeois of France supple
mented the we'll considered remarks
Of Mr.. Balfour. There was no rea-
son why the League should be
alarmed by the conference at Wash
ington. THE League respects ma
tional sentiment and recognizes that
those who are outside as well as
those who are inside the League have
the right to occupy themselves with
the great question of disarmament"
He told them it was not to be ex-
pected that great nation which sent
two million men overseas to fight for
liberty would afterwards renounce a
part in the worlds affairs. He be-
lieved the good work being done at
Geneva should augment the good
work to be done at Washington.
The examples set by these men is
worthy of approval Those in this
country who have sneered at the eff
forts of the League might easily be
in better business. OF course ~the
Withholding of Uncle Sam embar-
assed the situation and considering
all things the League has done even
better than could be expected Sure
1y in its councils are men striving
for the betterment of the world. for
ground on which stand may be made
against war and the policy of crush
ing ornaments. There is use for all
such. The conference at Washington
will not get far unless we may con-
vince such as these in all the coun-
tries represented that this is to be
sincere undertaking and that we
recognize the need of their utmost ef-
forts, whether through the League
OF Nations or by other means. Some
of Japan's farseeing leaders are
struggling against the militaristic in
huence and their efforts should be
recognized The situation calls for
the rallying of all such.
When the most reputable scientists
in the world declare that they know
of gas against which no protection
has yet been devised, few drops of
which on the human body will de-
stroy the life of 1t, there is but one
Conclusion: there must be an end to
war or there will be an end of hu-
did. 1t is the first ever waged which
nowhere inspired the warlike spirit.
None today are more opposed to war,
whether victors or vanquished, than
are those who experienced it's real
terrors. The fighting men loathe
war. they know it for what It is.
We must know that the next
war II 1t comes must inevitably
be more terrible. more destruc-
tive, more inconcIusive Of ev-
erything except the destruction of
civilization. Those who know these
things must get together and act
Put IN end to this petty pickering,