The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-06-03
j. s. FEELERS
ON naval CUT
SENT COUNCIL
Harding's Advisors Have Per-
suaded Him To Use Allied
Body To Take up Subject Of
Disarmament.
PRESSURE IS STRONG
BY MARK SULLIVAN

WASHINGTON. D. c., June 3.-For
the public distant from Washington to
understand what progress is being
made in the direction OF disarmament
ii is necessary 10 make several disunc-
tions clear. The first is between land
disarma ment ano naval disarmament.
For the present nothing is being
done in the direction of an agreement
about land disarmament. 1t is recog-
riZed that Europe cannot very well
discuss the reduction of it's arms so
long as Russia remains potential
military menace. 1t is always possible
for affairs in Russia to take such
tIrn as might make large armies very
necessary 70 the rest of Europe.
1t is within the possibilities that
military dictator of the type OF Ma
polean might arise in Russia. This is
at least possibility which the nations
cf Europe might reasonably raise if
they were approached on the subject
Of land disarma ment. For this and
ether reasons those who are taking
the lead in America do not regard the
present as a good time to raise the
question of land disarmament.
Two Plans.
In the matter of naval disa arma ment
there are two plans. The plan of
Senator Borah ard those who follow
Lis leadership in the senate is to take
rotice Of the fact that Great Britain,
Japan and the United States are the
only three nations which are now in
treasing their naval ornaments. Their
plan therefore, is to call a conference
of these three nations separately. They
such a conference and want it called in
Washington, for the discussion of this
subject alone They want to avoid
the Interruptions ard distractions Of
body which has additional business TO
attend TO. Also they want the confer
epce published
But the other plan. which President
Harding advisors have persuaded him
to embark upon in cautious way, is
to take up the subject of naval dis
armament with The supreme allied
council. Taking the matter up with
this body Of course includes Italy and
france as we'll as the other three ma
tons in the negotiations.
No Binding Action.
It is to be borne in mind that the
supreme allied council has nothing to
do with the League of Nations and
That what President Harding is doing
involves him. therefore. in no suspic-
ion among the irrecolcilables in the
senate. The distinction between the
League Of Nations and the supreme
allied council is that the latter can
take no binding action, but can merely
recommend action to the various gov
ernme1ts represented.
If President Harding makes pro
x--,tL !, &c, vi f~r = ant
agreement through the mechanism of
the supreme allied council. it is quite
possible that he may take this body
as the cornerstone for the structure of
that association OF nations which he
has frequently promised, and that he
may build upon it in addition to an
agreement for disarmament, a court
and various other mocha nisms for the
preservation of peace. Some of Pres
dent Hardings advisors believe that
i the supre me allied council can be
kept going successfully for few years
and that if its actions are acceptable
to America, that body may we'll turn
out to be a relatively satisfactory sub
stitute for what ex-President Wilson
meant to accomplish through the
League of Nations.
Strong Pressure.
Meanwhile, as a matter of domestic
politics. the pressure upon President
Harding to make reasonable progress
in the direction of conference for dis
ornament is very strong. II is as
strong as any political or moral move
ment now apparent in the United
States.
1t has behind it several elements.
1t has behind it the bulk of those
who believed in the League of Ma
tons in it's original form. 1t has in
addition. the support of those who did
not approve of the League of Nations
in its original form hut who strongly
demand some mechanism for the pre-
vertion of future wars.
These two clements combined are
much more than half of the voters
of the United States. In addition to
them. there is also a large body OF
cpinion whose primary motive is re.
duction of taxes. The discussion OF
tayation has now gone far enough to
demonstrate that the only appreciable
progress that can be made toward re-
during government expenditures is
through the reduction of armaments.