The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-11-11
LEAGUE READY
TO COOPERATE
WITH HARDING
Arms Farley Is Not
Regarded as RiuaI
Affair.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
Copyright, 1921.
Especial to The Argus1

/
! Especial to The ArgusO
Washington. Nov. 1.-THE prin-
: ciples adopted and the agreement
made at President Harding's con-
ference on the limitation of arma-
ment may be applied to all the 9th
er nations of the globe through the
medium of the Leag que of Nations.
a point of contact between the
league which has more than forty
nations within its jurisdiction and
the conference of principal allied
and associated powers called by
Mr.. Harding has been established in
! formally. Rene Viviani, former
premier of France, and member of
the French delegation to the Wash
| ington conference, has brought
with him the reports and concIu-
sions reached by the commission on
armament appointed by the League
of Nations and of which he is chair
man.
/ Far from regarding Mr.. Harding's
project as rival affair, the league
formally expresses its approval of
the initiative of the president of the
, United States and promises him CO.
operation.
Pacific Problems Vital.
Next in Importance to the dis
armament of Germany" says the
leagues formal report, comes the
proposal of President Harding that
a conference should meet at Wash
ington to discuss disarmament and
the settlement of the political prob
lens of the Pacific. The League of
| Nations which exists for the pur-
pose of securing international con-
cord naturally welcomes with great
satisfaction the initiative of Pres
ident Harding.
The limitation of naval arma-
ment which will be one of the prin-
cipal problems discussed at the
conference at Washington can in
deed be most effectively secured by
a common agreement between the
powers 1t is earnestly to be hoped
that this conference will be fruit
full, and that the reduction of the
land armaments on the continent
of Europe will be supplemented by
an understanding relating to the
reduction of naval armament.
Explains First Purpose.
when the covenant of the league
was framed. it contemplated sit
uation in which all nations were
members of a single league and
bound to one another by the COM
mon purpose of maintaining peace
throughout the globe.
1t assumed that all nations would
be at peace with one another. and
that the world would have settled
down to a position of stability after
the convulsios of the great war. 1t
is needless to say that these condi-
tions have so far only been realized
in part.
Three great powers, ones of
them actually and others poten-
TALLY. of immense military import
ance, stand outside the league. and
, so long as the United States. Ger
many and Russia do not participate
in our society, great difficulties con-
front the common adoption by its
members of a plan for the sys-
= tematic and progressive reduction
| of armamentS or for a full, frank
, and unreseryed communication of
; military information. Neither have
we reached a period of stability.
The states bordering on the soviet
republic are naturally apprehensive
of the intentions of their huge and
uncertain neighbor. The internal
situation of the German republic is
. still far from secure.
Great Progress Made.
Nevertheless it is important to
realize that immense progress has
already been made in the direction
desired The treaties OF peace have
imposed on certain states precise
stipuIations concerning disarma-
ment. These stipulations are in a
fair way of being realized and will,
it is hoped. he finally confirmed by
the establishment of stable demo
cratic institutions in Germany
Thus will a substantial guarantee
be afforded for the preservation OF
peace.
= Indeed. in the whole course of
history. no single step has been
taken so important and far-reach-
ing in its probable effects as the alb
olition of conscription in Germany
and the restriction of the regular
military force OF that country to a
voluntary army not exceeding the
limits necessary for internal de-
tense. II is not too much to say
that the steadfast maintenance OF
this situation will not only enable
progressive reductions TO be made
in the military establishments OF
other countries but carries with 1t,
as necessary Corollary. the peace
of western Europe. Meanwhile a
field of useful work remains open to