The New York herald., 1921-11-15
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER Is. 1921.
The Hughes Proposal Grips the
World.

World.
While half the world was still Won
dering whether such good news as
tie Hughes programme could be true,
wondering whether anything in in
ternational relations nowadays could
he so sudden, simple and unselfish.
Great Britain reached out to grasp at
once this great opportunity. The
announcement that Mr.. BALFoCR Will
accept in principle" should end any
doubt that may linger in the mind
cf~a world which has been fooled by
inirages so often in the last three
years. And, with Great Britain ac-
cepting our solution Of the armament
nroblem, there should be no heslta-
ton on the part of those nations
which, in embracing the proposal Oh
the United States, will give UP COM
paratively little and gain compare
lively much.
When we speak of it as proposal
OF the United States we mean that'
while it came from the mind and the
lips of Secretary HUGHES as the
spokesman of President HARDrNG'S
Administration, it comes from the
heart Of this country. If there were
an election to-day upon the question
Of ratifying the Hughes programme
the opposition would not carry sin
gle State: probably not a single
county. For America, while itself
startled for moment at the splen-
did audacity OF the programme, inn
mediately realized that the Secre-
tary of State had with one bold
stroke crystallized what had been in
the American mind and heart.
Not since the world heard, three
years ago, that the day and hour OF
the armistice had been fixed has
there been such sweep Of Joy. "The
optimism in Washington" said
witty diplomat on Sunday, sis terri
fying." He could have found that
same optimism in every corner of
America. He will find it too in
every continent of the world when
the people of that continent realize
that the challenge of the United
States must be taken up by the other
Powers. Why should not the world
be optimistic when it sees America,
through Mr.. HUGHEs, accomplishing
more in half an hour toward the
elimination Of bloodshed than has
ever been accomplished in all the
droning hours OF the Hague Tribunal
or the League of Nations?
With the magnanimity which pro-
ceeds only from the great America
has offered to sacrifice far more in
the interest Of world peace and econ
omy than it asks the other great sea
Powers to relinquish. With none OF
the preliminaries of barter, none OF
the waiting for offers and counter
proposals, we have laid on the table
a magnificent bid for peace. 1t is a
hid so high that none, we think, will
ask for more; but it is not a bid so
high that our own people will be-
grudge paying it, for they know
what its acceptance will mean.
England's acceptance in principle
was to be expected. We who had
read of the eagerness OF Great Brit
ain to enter the conference could
not doubt what her answer must be.
Her people, even more than our own.
have tired Of the burden OF navies
that grow costlier each year. Her
people know, as we know, that dread
noughts are paid for not only in the
taxes of the rich but in the price OF
the poor's bread. Her people know
that their statesmen have promised
20 make every effort 10 lessen the
load which they. in the finest spirit
OF honor and justice, took on their
backs in 1914 and carried through
four red years. They are not paci-
fists. They would go again with high
heads into another justifable war
Isut they must welcome a programme
which would instantly reduce the
cost of national defence without re.
ducing their chances in the event of
war. And when America says to
England For every five thousand
tons of ships that you scrap we will
Scrap eight thousand tons" there can
be no doubt about the Briton's
-nswer
The feelings Of Continental Europe.
once it comes to realize that the
american offer means exactly what
II says, may be imagined. Here IS
the richest of all countries-the ma
tion which can afford, better than
any other, to build dreadnoughts by
the dozen-making an offer which is
of much greater relative economic