The New York herald., 1921-12-03

| time getting to work. AS long as there
| is any danger of aggression, 1t Will be
| hard to convince political leaders that
| their nations should not be prepar ed for
l. all possibilities, but we may certainly
try to pull their teeth by an interna-
| tional agreement, and any such agree
ment must not overlook the outright
abolition of the use of asphyxiating and
other gases, which are concevably un-
lust either as a means of protection or
| offense.'
| Deputy Rene Foncll of the Department
| of the Vosges and a French aviation ace
said he saw a great future for the air.
plane as frontier scout to prevent un-
expected attacks by Frances neighbors,
but he condemned the use of all in
human methods Of warfare, such as the
bombing of cities or the use OF gases,
and was confident that President
Harding's proposed association OF
nations. "if it meets yearly. will not
overlook the opportunity to lessen
Frances dangers in this respect,
although it has heavy programme
| already"
| There is not a French aviator who
! could not agree to such programme
| provided he knew other nations would
not treat an international treaty OF TINS
sort as a scrap of paper, he continued
washington. like Geneva. should lose no
time condemning terrible scientipc IN
ventions whose effort cannot be con-
trolled as could the devices OF former
wars.
Viscomte Louis de Chappedelaine,
Denuty from the Cotes-d du-Nord, said
that unless the Washington conference
regulated such inhuman methods or war
| fare the world would go back to the
psychology of the early ages. when
cruelty, trickery and might solved raciai
problems, and urged the washington
conference to do its best. adding: with
the hospitals filled with those suffering
| from the after effects of gases and
thousands of homes in peaceful areas
ruined by bombing raids which were or
no military value the time has surely
come for the civilized world to agree TO
abolish such methods"
Terrible Effect of Casing.
DR. Arnold, a leading French lung
physician, said that France, England
and the United States to-day have nearly
| 100000 cases of gassed soldiers who are
menaced with tuberculosis. Must the
future witness a repetition of such
catastrophe. entailing suffering such as
was unknown in other wars?' he asked.
Never! In the interest OF future
progress Washington should strive to
bring a higher idealism into the world
regardless OF what 1t may COST
| Gen. Edouard Hirschauer, Senator
| from the Moselle, sees danger in Inc
application of the idea. but admits that
II the Washington conference can arrive
at an International agreement whereby
all nations would decide to crush any
nation repeating Germany's initiative OF
1914 the proposal would be worthy OF
every consideration.
"By all means legislate against un-
fair weapons of all sorts and stop their
use" he said, "but personally | cannot
see how such programme can be carried
out Immediately. Nevertheless / am
hearty supporter of THE NEW YORK
HERALD's suggestion. as was personally
gassed three times in the last war"
Gen. Taufileb. n patriotic Alsatian.
also agrees with THE NEW YORK HERALD
editorials on this subject. THE more
such inhumanites are discussed the
quicker will mankind realize that they
should be done away WITH he said.
by all means let the proposal to human
ize conflicts be brought before the con-
ference. as. even II there is no immediate
result. II will be a step in the right
direction"
There is still a considerable group
here. however, which doubts the ability
| OF Washington to solve the problem. The
arguments by this group were summed
up by Senator Etienne Clementel, who
formerly was Minister of Commerce. He
said
"All such propositions are useless. as
they begin at the wrong end. If you
do away with war you will abolish
bombs. gas and other deviltries, but If
you only do away with them and con-
tinue TO have wars other deviltries will
be invented to replace those you have
done away with. IL you are at war
and know that by merely pushing a
button you can blow up Berlin you VIII
inevitably do so.
America probably cost a million men
their lives by not letting the world know
at the outbreak of the war that she
would not stand for such methods. While
II would be disastrous for her again to
assume responsibility by failing to carry
fnh tho