Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-04-12
WOMEN AND DISARMAME MT
BY Frederic J. Haskin
WY ASHINGTON, D. c., April GA
w Womens World Disarmament COM

the latest political activity of women to get
under way here. 1t will be watched with
interest because, aside from the Importance
of the subject it has tackled, it will show
what the WoVen can do in the way of
mobilizing public sentiment.
The women are in favor of disarmament.
Further, they believe that the great mass
| of the people are also in favor Of it. They
| believe that when the people are shown how
much armament costs, and what might other
wise be done with the money, the people will
be still more in favor of disarmament In
a word, their object is to clarity the senti-
ment in favor of disarmament and make
| il evident to congress-
| Whether one favors disarmament or not,
| it can scarcely be denied that this move to
stimulate public discussion of it is a good
one. If the argument in favor of competi-
| tive shipbuilding is the best one it will
| doubtless win.
In the past, peace and disarmament have
| been urged on the grounds of sentiment,
with many illusions to widows, orphans and
wounded. The new organization talks stats
tics, with the idea of showing that neither
this country nor any other is in shape to
spend millions of dollars on battleships that
| in year or two may be obsolete.
The committee is composed of women all
| over the country. 1t is entirely a womens
| group because the so women who started it
| in Washington found that while plenty of
| ciers-were willing to indorse the project,
! they were not wiling to be publicly lined up
as adherents-not until sthe demand for
world disarmament is we'll established. Sena-
| tor Borah, of Idaho, and Representative
Frear, of Wisconsin, however, agreed to
| speak at a mass meeting to discuss disarma-
ment.
| The great expense of maintaining mill
| taristic government is one of the main argu-
ments set forth by the women's committee.
| 1t holds that large percentage Of the peo-
pie want this expense cut that the people
| in general do not want miltaristic govern
ment, but that big arm and navy programs
continue to be planned because they do not
make their sentiments known. What the
committee expects to do is to hold mass
meetings and conferences and interest peo-
pie in letting their congressman know what
they think about disarmament
To Fight Navy Bill
eve are concentrating on the naval ap
preparation BILL says Miss Emma Void,
chairman for the District of Columbia, "be-
| cause the naval bill will be one of the most
| important matters before congress when it
convenes this month. There are only three
nations with formidable navies-England,
Japan, and the United States. Of the three,
this country is the only one that can continue
big building program without bankruptcy,
and afford it only by giving up all
ideas of progress in education, road building,
SdulLdtlOu, anu peace t1IuS SClSuC6 w ASdI
nothing but how the country must retrench
in it's expenditures, and the only place to re-
trench when an rmy and navy being
built up is to cut down few thousand here
and there education and science instead
of adding few thousand to meet the de-
mands of ordinary progress That is what
it means when we economic.
england has cut down on her naval build
ing. Japan is building in a feverish sort of
attempt to keep the United States from en-
tirely outdistancing her. Neither nation has
the funds to put into battleships and the
United States can raise the funds only at the
expense of progress and by heavy taxation
that must grow heavier as continue.
fright now there is proposed tax on
everything that is bought, not just on luxur-
les, but proportionate tax on pins and
needles. chairs, Coffee and everything else
| necessary to pay the $481 100000 for non
military government projects. But some
thing of the sort will be necessary if in ad-
dition to this civil appropriation, and over
| So, 900, 100000 to be paid on past wars we
add 1885, 900 900 to be invested in the army
and navy
/ Besides working to have the naval ap-
preparation limited the women's committee
wants to- have Pres ,ent Harding and con-
gress take steps to call conference of the
powers to discuss practical means Of dis
armament. This many statesmen would de-
mand as the step to be taken before we cut
down the naval building program. The hear
ings on disarmament before the house naval
committee in January strongly indicated this
attitude. General Bliss, Secretary Daniels,
General Pershing, and others who testified
spoke in favor of an international confer
ence to consider some degree of disarma-
ment, but pendirI such a conference, they
favored continuance o. shipbuilding.
Japan and England Willing
| So far as naval programs are concerned,
only England, Japan and the United States
would need to confer, for they are the only
naval powers now. But as other nations
would feel sighted if left out of the delibera-
| tions, it is probable that conference would
include them also.
Both Japan and England have suggested
that they would welcome chance to limit
naval progress. japanese statesmen have
expressed a desire to see their navy reduced
to a minimum that would still enable Japan
tc protect her coasts. IS far back as 1913,
England asked for agreement to reduce
naval expenditures, but Germany, then
naval power, would not consider it. When
Sir Philip Gibbs was asked his opinion as to
Englands present view accepting an in
vitation to a disarmament conference, he
said that Ell gland is divided into factions re-
garding disarmament, but ''there is no doubt
that the great mass of the English people
would bring pressure on the government to
accept such decision, and the entire strength
of the labor and liberal parties in England
would be brought in on that side"
The objection to conference and agree
ment is that there is the DANCE Of one CON
fierce not playing fair 1t is still remembered
how Napoleon at Jena limited Prussia to an
army of $4,000 men, and how the Prussians
kept to the letter of the demand. The joker