The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-07-17
FRANCE TRIED TO
 GET DISARMAMENT
 INTO COVENANT
CContinued from Page One,

ing each other full and frank .nu- tual knowledge as To armaments and military and naval programmes, as well as the situation in industries capable of war adoption. will ap- point committees charged with the necessary Investigation. Amendment to Article g: A perma- nent body Ntll be constituted to pro- vide and prepare military and naval me asures to execute the obligations which this covenant imposes on the high contracting parties and to in- sure immediate efficiency of ur- gency."
 Proved Sincerity
 In other words. this would have provided an opportunity for check ing up on one hand and for com polling compliance on the other France in these two articles proved the absolute sincerity of her inten- tions.
 The allies would not follow her. I think it interesting to disclose the hitherto unpublished minutes of the commi ssion showing President Will sons and Lord Robert Cecil's ob- jections. I shall quote textually. At the meeting of February II. 1919:
 President Wilson: NO nation will consent to an outside investigation of it's ornaments. We Americans can | not consent on account of our con stitution. As for constructing a uni fled military machine in time of peace. 1t is unthinkable. If we now organized an international force 1t | would seem that we were substitut- | ing international militarism for na- | tional militarism. I canont accept | formulas in contradiction of our con- stitution."
 Lord Robert Cecil: There would be strong objection in England to an 1 outsider checking up on the number of British soldiers under arms. | do not think this formula Is adopt able"
 Meeting of February 13: l Asked Not to Insist 1 Lord Robert Cecil: T ask our French colleagues not to insist. The | drafting committee tried to get as close as possible to their point of view, but under the present system it seems to me impossible to adopt l entirely their idea of a verification of armaments. I assure you our Par . lament never would vote the laws necessary to render such verifica- ton effective.
 
 an international general staff hay ing the right to meddle with its naval and military plans" | Meeting of March 21: | Lord Robert Cecil: "A majority of i our public thinks this project al ready too radical and too menacing to the sovereignty of the state. Let us not go further"
 Meeting of March 24: President Wilson: 'T fear the visits of such a commission as that provided for in the French amend ment to examine whether nations were keeping their engagements or not would be unfavorably looked upon in many countries. Such pro- cedure is not comparable to sim | liar process within one state. If we were considering a union of states, with a common legislature we might | consider such a mechanism, but our constant thought has been to get away from the concept of super state and on these conditions it seems difficult to make certain verifica. tions in the interior of associated nations"
 Bourge finally was beaten 12 to 13. No verifications were provided, no sanctions envisaged, nothing prac- tical accomplished for the limitation of ornaments. At moment when President Hard- ing is proposing a question before which President Wilson retreated through fear. of Senate opposition | Frances readiness remains invari- able France cannot forget in the 1 face of Germany's failure to fulfill her obligati tions that she is the most menaced country in Europe But she 1 is always ready to agree to the re- duction of military burdens provided such an agreement will afford real and not hypothetical security. | Such was the meaning of the lslJ proposals which I have deemed es- l sential to recall to the American