Great Falls tribune., 1921-10-21
WHAT IS IN A NAME?
DISPATCH from Washingt,


a tells us that the officia.
title of the disarmament conference
called by President Harding is te
be conference on the Limitation
of Armament" Take note that j
is a conference ION" limitation Of
armament and not "for" such linn.
itation. There is repeated warn.
ing from administration sources al
the national capital that the public
must not expect too much from it
That reduction Of present arma-
ment is not practical and that
the most that can be hoped for is
some agreement to reduce the per
cent of future increases; that dis
armament is not the real purpose
of the conference anyway, but the
ironing out of "the Pacific prob
lens" is its paramount purpose
that the use Of the word disarma-
ment is misleading, and more to the
same effect. At the same time we
are urged by Republican newspa-
pers and Republican statesmen, not
to view this conference from any
partisan standpoint, but to give it
generous support, as great patri-
otic and humanitarian effort above
and beyond partisan considerations.
Very well, that is how we would
be glad to view it. But that view
implies that its motive is in no way
political and partisan, and that the
conference at Washington will be
glad to cooperate with all other
agencies seeking the peace Of the
world and the disarmament Of the
nations, not excepting the greatest
Of all these agencies the League
Of Nations, comprising fifty inde-
pendent and sovereign nations in
its organization, and already en-
gagged in trying to bring about dis
armament The League Of Nations
has already offered to place at the
disposal of the Washington con-
ference all the information it has
gathered on the subject and to CO.
operate with it to gain such end.
So far as we have seen in the pub
lie press no notice has been taken
of this offer on behalf of the
League of Nations, and no reply
made to it.
If the Washington conference ex-
poets to get non-partisan support
and cordial and enthusiastic approv-
al from all the citizens of the
United States, the administration
which called it would do we'll to
cease warning people not to ex-
pect too much from it. When they
keep throwing buckets of cold water
on the public sentiment in favor
Of world disarmament by agree
ment, and ignore efforts in that
direction such as are undertaken
by the League of Nations, they
do more to dull patriotic enthusiasm
in its behalf than any Democratic
newspapers could do. The whole
world is weary of war. The civ
ilized nations of the earth are de-
manding release from the crushing
burden of preparing for wars in
the future. The administration at
Washington cannot change this
feeling by striking the word dis
armament" out Of the official title
of the conference, because that
word is fixed in the heart Of
thinking men and women the world
over. The authorities at Wash
ington can give the conference any
name they please, but if disarma-
ment ~ no part of their program,
or no considerable and important
part Of their program, then the in
terest of the masses of the people
in its deliberations will be vastly
diminished.
What are these problems Of the
Pacific" that we hear 50 much
about? No one seems to be will
ing to state them boldly. Is it
the question of which nation shall
govern the Island of Yap7 Is it
that the Japanese men and women
breed too freely and refuse to prac-
tice birth control and in conse-
quence keep spreading out over the
islands Of the Pacific and the east
ern end Of the continent Of Asia?
Il it that they work too cheaply
or live too cheaply and 50 compete
on terms of advantage with other
races in economic production1 Is
it that their alliance with Great
Britain makes it impossible for
some stronger nation to invade
Japan or take by force from them
any Of their present territorial pos