The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-06-29
KEY TO WORLD
PROBLEMS IS
DISARMAMENT
Administration Con
fronfed BY Question
at Every Turn.
By DAVID LAWRENCE.
Copyright. 1921
(Srecial to The Argus.)

Washington, June 29.-The big
gest story in Washington today is
disarmament. Everywhere, the
Harding administration turns In its
effort to cut down expenses or to
reduce taxes It meets the disarma-
ment problem in some form. 1t
has taken months for the true i'm
portance of disarmament to be ap-
preciated but the question has at
last gotten SO big that in its solu-
ton lies the key to the domestic
and foreign situation combined
Other Nations Want "lnsurance."
Back of the disarmament prob
lem lies for instance the whole at
titude of foreign governments to-
ward the funding Of their debts to
the United States. How much in
terest can they afford to pay an
nually, how much toward the prin-
cipal il the chief item in their bud
gets is military and naval expense
for the next war? And while Presi-
dent Harding has sent informal
feelers to the foreign powers to de-
termine their attitude toward re-
duction of armament expense, the
same informal responses have
been made to the effect that when
a plan Of insurance has been pro-
vided, something that will assure
the safety Of European countries
from attack then a disarmament
program will become plausible.
France Fears Germany.
France, for instance, wants to
know what insurance the United
States will provide against attack
by a reorganized Germany 10 years
hence. The United States has fail
ed to ratify the special defensive
treaty whereby America and Eng
land were to come to the aid of
France in the event of an unpro-
voked attack by Germany. The
guarantees against war adopted by
France have been a big standing
army-a tremendous item in her
budget. Similarly Great Britain has
not yet been convinced that she can
dispense with her navy. She
doesn't know American plans or
pretensions~ and all aSirstdfk gre
hears is about growing friction
between America and England.
The yerys suggestion of a better
understanding between English
speaking peoples is made nowadays
only in whispers lest it be the sub
49, ,eo. y, - a..anA ~ ny lne o'hn rem eie-
.ions,;n e mnI sa. ,ouA upUn q closer reia-
1IUnsnip tIu;.aa e." p.tmeen Ensianu ana tne
~ n.'eu - o'a.es = as Sonieno" lhlmlcai
~ a .eo l'eianu
As iol Japan, she Is Just entering
inlo new ailiance with Great
nriIaih whlcn means not only that
w tne oonlDlheo Japanese and BRUSH
sea power IS greater in strength
than that OF the United States but
that tne Engllsh genius for ship
Duliding and naval invention is at
the disposal OF the japanese. All
the latent of the British navy is
available to the Japanese for train
ing ana upbuilding of navy. Such
an intimacy is the natural out
growth OF the Japanese-British alli-
ance. 1t may mean British neutral
ity IN the event OF conflict be-
tween the United States and Japan,
but meanwhile it does mean Brit
isn-Japanese partnership in pre-
paratio1 for any war of the future.
Anglo-Jap Alliance Is Worry.
II is not exasperatinp a hi. ~ Gov
thai the view hero ia On ~ $50 ~ 90,
hension c6ncerninp ,ba sroatI ~ opp g,
the British-Jananese .,,;auno 70 70
Sn nce leneweo. Inc government