The Washington herald., 1921-09-25
WI Cling


on OF land forces For each country in Europe the army
exists very definite protection against a very real
peril.
But it is urged that only do large armies make
likely, actually promote hoslies. Senator Borah
would have believe but that they absorb vast OF
money which might otherwise be put into profitable
pioyment World recovery the normally, this
is possible only when the vast armies demobized and
the tremendous military expenses eliminated. And
since the world great sums of money and the
nations having the strongest armies greatest debt
ors there those who imagine that in position
to use our financial power as weapon
THIS is, of course, profound deusion. 1t is de-
lusion save in single contingency, namely, that
ready to army and navy to collect our debts
But this very far cry from insurng world peace by
obtaining limitation of armaments 1t is profound de-
luson to imagine that country in Europe today really
enjoys having armies The truth is that before the
world the French literally starved their army If
it lacking in most of the machinery which the Ger
used with such effectiveness in the earlier phases of
the conflict was because the French Parliament had
refused to furnish the necessary funds Even than
this the chamber of deputies which had been elected Just
before the had been chosen for the purpose of educ
ing the of French military service from three
to two and thus cutting off nearly third of the French
military strength.
peated by thousand and circumstances not clearly
perceived in the United States is patent to
that France would have attacked Germany 1t is
clear that in 1914 she intensely eager to avoid
Yet she attacked the precise moment she PLAN
ming reduce her army and attacked through Belgium,
that is frontier which she had left with practically
fixed defenses because she relied upon the Neutrality
of Belgium.
When you undertake to tell Frenchmen that it
happen again. have only to expect that they will
show their ruins recount to their recent and their
past history and politely impotey, it happens
brush aside your optimistic prophecies There is only
form of argument that is worth wasting time on,
and that the argument OF guarantees and neither
the British prepared to supply those guarantees
AS far naval armamentS concerned the situa-
ton is quite diffeent We do not fear British attack
and the British have the smallest idea of attacking
any latent suspicion that to attack them. The
japanese navy is strong enough for defense and the jap
do not intend to attack Japan only asks to be
let alone in the Far East she is contemplating raid
the Pacific Coast dash to the Philippines, Such
gamble would certainly bring the British in on our
side and suicide is domestic rather than inter-
national habit of the Japanese.
The French and the Italians have practically no
navies in the modern and neither feel a
for fleets which would lead hem particularly in their
present financial condition to undertake the consruc-
tion of battleships. Germany has navy whatever,
Russia is in the situation and the smaller
tries, many OF which have very real armies with
anything which resembles a fighting squadron.
Thus agreement to strength, mutual
agreement to limit naval construction, is not only
possible but desirable from the point of view of the
nations Immediately concerned. And these only
the United States, Britain and Japan. Neither France
nor Italy fig about this phase of the Wash
ington conference and being, in fact, disarmed,
point this a for preserving their armies,
so long the three powers keep their fleets.
A FTER all there only two solutions to the
n question of world peace. The depends
upon the restoration and preservation of mutual
fdencc between all nations the other upon the
istence of some international body, superstate
with the adequate power to preserve peace through