Evening star., 1921-08-12
Editorial Digest
Arming for Peace.

Arming for Peace.
The announcement that Great Britain
is to build four new warships, coming
on the heels Of DISARMAMENT conference
invitations, has not failed to raise a
cynical echo from editorial writer's in
/ America. For the most part, however.
the newspapers seem quite satisfied with
the admiralty's accompanying protests
Of peaceful intent and good will to
Americans and take the British measure
! simply as proof Of the urgent need
ing, as the St Louis Post-Dispatch
Independently puts it. how impossi-
! BILE disarmament is except by agreement
among nations"
The Baltimore Sun dndependent
argued. II the relative naval standing is
maintained when the disarmament prop
osition" comes up for considerati ton.
there is no way Of hslting this COM
petitive, construction without an inter
Sun concludes, 1.-The most practical and
most urgent question before the world
is the holding Of the Washington con-
ference" for until then I'VE can hope
/ for no definite and concerted program
of reduction The Toledo Blade (in-
dependent republican, takes similar
view. EVERY nation" 1t says. will
trim its program If the rest of the con-
ferees will agree to trim theirs. In such
a game the chips are armies and ships
and military stores. They consist in
gree that nation has ships to play
with. it can obtain concessions from
the Others" In any case. tho Blade
optimistically concludes. nothing that
Britain or America may do "as to ar1na-
ments is likely to endanger the pur-
$Ny xr,h{ {1t, Ak4
ference Is called"
This spirit which prompts each ma
tion ITO gain the desired status as q
naval power" before the new order
takes effect is not wholly in the
spirit Of the armament reduction"
ent) believes. ut is," however. human
nature" We are no less guilty in
this respect. says the Columbia State
(democratic), than the other powers.
For We ARE rushing forward our
of them already laid down. so that
they will be able to take their place
under the new peace plan Of dis
armament by 1924. a little in advance
of the completion of the rival pro-
gram of England"
1t is the old psychology "of the
endless chain" the New York World
(democratic) believes. that causes the
powers to keep up their competition
from sheer lack of will to call q
halt on enormous expenditures" while
persisting 'in their common folly" Of
deluding themselves with the belief
that 1.-The more they spend the better
position they will be in when dis
armament conference meets"
The ;. only solution W v Of this this "o1d ";n
dependent). "is to rush the disarma-
ment conference" and begin CON
sidering ways and means of escaping
from this whirlpool of waste and
danger. which threatens to drag down
a great power"
The New York Times independent
democratic) believes that Great
Britain's building policy will have
bad effect on the conference" For
her moral influence will not be so
great as If she had adhered to her
more capital ships for the present"
The Times concludes with this prop
osition:
III her representatives were able to
say to the conference that Great Brit
ain. having reduced her fleet and stop
ped building ships of the first line.
felt herself justified in asking the
United States and Japan to halt their
building programs. what answer could
they have given that was not con-
The Oklahoma City Oklahoman n
(democratic) feels that the same ar
gument applies to the United States.
declaring that ut is very unwise to
continue the enormous expenditures
for armament" on the eve Of the con-
ference, when millions Of dollars
could be saved for the taxpayers" by
it's suspension.
A number of writers. however. see
nothing harmful or Illogical in play
ing safe" The Baltimore American
(republican) takes the admiralty ex-
plantations on their face values:
This hip-building program" 1t de-
clares, certainly will not stir up
alarm among the people Of any Of
the naval powers. and. whatever ct
feet it may have outside Great Brit
ain. should make for confidence in the
disarmament hopes. in so far as that
confidence may depend upon beliefs in
British sincerity"
The Boston Transcript Independent
republican, considers the policies OF
Britain and japan sound precedent for
America to bear in mind" The
Philadelphia Public Ledger unde-
pendent) feels that none of the powers
dare stop" all Of which. in its opin-
ion, simply emphasizes the need Of a
conference on limitation"