Newark post., 1921-11-23
HUGHES PRESENTA-
TON OF AMERICAS
PROGRAM REMAINS
"HICH LIGHT
Straight-from-Shoulder Pro.
posals Dealing With Cold
Facts Amazed All
Nations

ing delegations have been heard
the outstanding feature Of the arm
ament conference to date is the man.
ner in which Secretary of State
Hughes, head of the American dele
cation, presented Americas plans for
reduction of naval armament.
The conference was called by Presi-
dent Harding for the purpose of
bringing about reduction of arma-
ments. The Republican administra-
tion, with Secretary Hughes as its
spokesman, believes the way to re-
duce is to reduce. The world is tired
of listening to beautiful theories to
which everybody agrees but which
nobody practices. Secretary Hughes
brought the conference physically to
it's feet and the people of the world
to attention by laying down a pro-
gram for naval disarmament that was
specific to the last detail, that was
startling in its definiteness.
<iHGf tCu DtHtttNo <iCttOb ANow
The Secretary prefaced his cold,
concrete, specific program by few
short blunt sentences which the con-
ference and the world instantly re-
cognized as the key note of the gath
ering and as embodying the Ameri-
can idea of what this conference
should and must accomplish. These
sentences were:
eve can no longer content our
selves with Investigations, with sta
tistics, with reports, with circumlo-
cution of inquiry. The essential facts
are sufficiently known. The time is
come and this conference has been
called, not for general resolutions or
mutual advice, but for action.
There is only one adequate way out
and that is to end it now."
"Action" and "now" were the two
words which brought every delegate
at the conference to instant realiza-
tion that the American government
wants results. These two words con-
vinced the American people, if there
We're any need to reassure them, of
the absolute sincerity of the Republi-
can administration in it's resolute de-
termination to bring about a genuine
reduction of armament that would
start the world in the direction of
universal peace. 1t served notice upon
the foreign governments officially in
attendance at the conference that they
were dealing with a statecraft that
ran true to the traditions of Ameri-
can diplomacy,-a statecraft that
deals in facts and not platitudes,
that seeks to accomplish results
rather than play to the galleries, that
ruthlessly cuts through red tape and
gets down to the business Of the hour.
Startling as were Secretary
Hughes remarks above quoted, even
more startling from the standpoint
of the foreign governments was the
concrete program which he laid down
to back up his remarks. 1t is no vio-
lence to the truth to say that foreign
powers expected a general proposal
for a reduction of armament, which
should be left to the several nations
to work out in detail. In some in
stances this is what they hoped, be-
cause in working out the details there
would be ample opportunity for
"smooth work" Secretary Hughes
program Jared them out Of this
hope. He proposed reductions in
naval armament by manning here
with" the particular fighting vessels
which each nation should put on the
scrap heap.
No Loophole for Evasion
Secretary Hughes left no loopholes
for any nation which wishes to evade
a program of naval disarmament
Some hoped he would propose a re
duction on a tonnage basis. This
would have left the naval experts Of
each nation free to bamboozle thu
public. Some hoped he would pro
pose a reduction along budgetar!
lines. This would have permitted an!
nation to juggle it's naval appropria
tions or conceal them and thus evad
any agreement reached by the con
ference. Secretary Hughes left moth
ing to be surmised. He closed tn
door on speculation. He called b,
name each vessel now af1oat whicl
each nation should sink, each vesse
now under construction work upol
which should be abandoned, and eac
vessel proposed for construction wor
upon which should never be initiated
To make doubly sure, he specified b.
name what particular vessels eacl
nation should have afloat thre
months after the agreement Of tn