Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1921-01-13
Disarmament Imperative.
tst. Louis POST Dispatch. J


first place, he says, it is vital to the
economic life Of the world and the
realization of its hopes of peace, but
two conditions are required to make
disarmament possible-"first, gener-
al ,sgreement, and, second, world
machinery sufficient to secure observ-
ance of an agreement once arrived
at.n
This opinion is shared by enlighten-
ed European statesmen who know
world conditions, who have studied
peace problems and who have joined
in the labor of organizing the League
Of Nations.
At the bottom of all national arma-
ments are fear and distrust-the fear
of attack or schemes of aggression
and spoliation and distrust of the
purposes and schemes of other ma
tions or groups of nations. These
are natural results of the old order of
international dealings and will not
disappear until new order of mutual
protection and CO. o-operation through
agreement and international law and
tribunals has been established. The
unarmed or weak nation heretofore
has been the prey Of the strong,
armed nations. The strong, armed
nations have depended wholly upon
their strength and ornaments for
safety and advantage.
The new order is one in which all
nations, strong and weak, join to-
gether in agreements for the reduc-
tion of ornaments and for mutual
protection through established pro-
cesses of arbitration and law to in
sure just dealings and peace among
all nations. The firm established of
these processes by general agreement
and corporation to maintain peace
against any aggressive nation is the
foundation of general disarmament
and world peace.
This establishment of'the processes
OF justice and peace is the purpose OF
the League Of Nations. Its whole
value is expressed in agreements to
submit differences to arbitration and
international tribunals and to reduce
armaments.
But the refusal of the United States,
through the Senate majority, to en-
ter the League has brought about an
other menace of war. So long as we
are out of the League we are arming
to the teeth. We are expressing oul
fear and distrust by enormous ex.
penditures for armaments and we
arousing fear and distrust in Other
nations, which lead them to increase
their war equipments. There can be
but one result of this menacing policy
war. The horrid thing all men o.
I enlightened conscience and judgment
said never shall happen again is in
evitable. The building of armament'
means war and its horror. 1t means
before war comes, intolerable burdens
of cost which lead to economic col
lapse. The world cannot stand the
cost OF armaments. 1t means genera
ruin heaped upon the ruins caused b.
the late war.
The growth of ornaments and thei
cost, pressing upon the peoples over
burdened by war debts and taxation
are appalling. The United States i
preparing to spend nearly 100000,
600 next year on the navy aloue, will
$1,000, 900, 900 of war debts to pay with
in two years and a half. Proportion
ately the expenditures of Grea
Britain, Japan, France and Italy ar
as burdensome.
Even Senator Berah, the implaca
able foe of any kind of internationa
league or association, is urging al
agreement between the United State
and Great Britain and Japan for
cessation of armament programs
, a limited agreement of this kim
would be only the halfway station t
disarmament, but it would help. !
would be a step in the right direction
and start towards general disarma
ment. We ought to take the lead i
the disarmament policy. We are th
strongest and richest nation and tn
most isolated: We ought to hav
taken the lead in the organizing {
the League of Nations for gensr,
disarmament, supported by processe
of maintaining peace with justic
after our leadership in planning th
League. We have failed to do thi
but the moral obligation rests upo
us to stop competitive armaments.
The campaign for disarmamer
must go on until no Government wi
dare ask great appropriationsfor tn
army and navy. The people shoul
demand the cessation Of great arms
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