The Monroe journal. [volume] (Monroe, N.C.) 189?-1965, 1921-08-23
DISARMAMENT CONFERENCE
WILL Be ONLY A PRETENSE
This l. the Prediction of Washingto-
mans since the Appointment Of.
Sen. Lodge A. Delegate
sTEADMAN SPEAKS AT DURHAM
by David r. ~. Clair
Journals Washington Correstondent

polntment OF Senator Lodge as one
oil tie American delegates TO the arms
/ limitation conference TO meet here
on November IL and his speech in
the senate after the appointment de-
clarins that he favored only general
disarmament has given Washington
the definite impression that the con-
ference will be nothing more than Q
shaIl and pretense.
General disarmament would mean
the mi. a.r disarmament of a ma
ton like France. Ii is certain that
Franye Will never consent to disarm
and that it would not be safe for her
to do so while her present relations
with Germany exist. France has been
invited to the conference and has ac-
France will never consent to disarm
and will of course refuse and by that
loop hole the worlds big munition
makers will be saved from scrapping
their factories.
That Is the Interpretation that
some of those most deeply interested
in the results of the conference give
to the Lodge appointment and his
speech. II IS believed that Senator
Knox and Underwood, opponents Of
disarmament will also be appointed
on the delegation. That prospect with
the actual appointment of Lodge has
redoubled the efforts of the women
Of the country to have one of their
sex appointed. Without a woman on
the American delegation they contend
the conference is already doomed to
failure.
The friends of Senator Borah OF
Idaho are asking why he has not been
appointed. Borah has been the origin
and inspiration of the whole move
ment II was his brilliant battle for
naval disarmament amendment to
the naval appropriation bill that fin
ally forced an unwilling senate TO ac-
cept the amendment and a reluctant
president to call the conference, yet
the crusader Borah is ignored and
Lodge an opponent of the only sort
Of disarmament that is held to be
practical at this stage Is chosen.
No Use for BOrah
But Harding has no more use for
Borah as delegate to this conference
than he had for the Borah amend
ment. He did all that he as President
possibly could do to kill that amend
ment. He sent for Senator PoindeXter,
chairman OF the naval appropriation
committee and asked him TO plunge
the knife up TO the hilt in the Borah
amendment II must not be allowed
to pass. Mind you this amendment
had no other object than the disarm-
ing of the great navies of Great Brit
ian. the United States and Japan.
But the President said that IL was in
opportune at this time and we did
not want Il.
But Borah had created a ferment
of interest throughout the country.
Women by tens of thousands had
rushed to the telegraph offices with
messages to their senators. The long
distance calls as far away as Denver,
Colo, Augusta, Me-, Jacksonville,
Fla. and Houston. Texas were singing
with voices of mothers who had lost
sons in the war in France. The Demo-
cratic senators soon began to fall over
one another to follow Borah's lead
and when enough Republican sena-
tors Joined in the grand march to
pass the amendment, the President
gave out the statement that he had
all along been working for the noble
purpose that has animated the soul
of the Ohio senator.
But instead of calling a conference
for naval disarmament with Pacific
problems thrown in and invited
France and Italy who have no paci-
fic problems and China who has no
navy to the conference. The Borah
plan was to aim at specific, practical
results has been prevented to give the
President credit OF the movement and
to defeat It with impossible demands.
Harding's Incapacity rs Leader
The friends of the real limitation
Of armament point to the Presidents
perversion Of Senator Borah's move
as striking illustration OF Mr.. Hard
ing's incapacity as a leader. He not
only shows no initiative but frowns
upon the one great clear practical
that he is forced by pub
lie sentiment to take hold of. Then
to make Ii unavoidable he loads II
down with side issues and appoints
men on the delegation that must
initiate the program of the confer
ence, men who will demand an i'm
possibility. If tie conference succeeds
and the whole world is praying that
IL will, IL will be because the senti-
ment of the American people will
compel success,
But the impression grows here that
the men who really have the destiny
Of the conference in their hands are
to render II a failure. All
the army and navy people when not
openly are secretly fighting II. They
argue that the failure OF the move
ment Is the only way to quiet the
agitation for disarmament. They con-
tend that disarmament II II could be
secured would not remove the cause
d war and rearmament would in
stantly result from friction.
Two months ago Representative
3. ". Pou In an interview given out
m this correspondence said that Pres
dent Harding had no foreign policy.