The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-11-01
.COMING MEETING
 ORDEAL OF FAITH,
 VIEW OF HARVEY
Will Be Test of Capacity of Governments to Satisfy the Longing for Peace,
 Says Ambassador
By Associated Press

ment conference, heralded the coming conferences as "an ordeal not of bat tie but of faith" the underlying pur- pose of which was no moro a chal- lenge to the League of Nations than 1t was to the Monroe doctrine.
 Ambassador Harvey reviewed the action of the American congress re- spectinE the limitation of the army and the reduction of naval appropria- tiens, which he said gave conclusive evidence of tho American govern ments confidence in the outcome of the conference.
 "The real question confronting the conference is not whether tho na- tions of the earth can be brounght into agreement upon all things, but whether they can reach an under standing with respect to anything, he said. 1t is to be n great lest, not of the sincerity Of peoples, but of the capacity of existing govern ments to satisfy the universal long ing for peace. prosperity and hap piness."
 Tells of InvitatioH
 Ambassador Harvey opened his ad- dress by alluding to the circumstances in which the invitation to the Wash inston conference was accepted by the British.
 "f cannot permit to pass this op- portunity to make on behalf or my country due acknowledgement of the greatly generous way in which un- failingly and with characteristic promptltude the decision ot the prime minister accorded wholehearted sup pert of the brave initiative of the president." he said. Never can or would | forget that peaceful Sunday afternoon in July when l found MT. Lloyd George sitting under the spreading branches of the trees on his country place engaged in animated conversation with the premiers of the uominions. Quietly he asked ]; What Is lt?' 1 drew a cablegram from my pocket and held It tow ard him,
 Read it., he said. did so, slow ? ly and carefully. II Is needless to in- from you that 1t was the message from the Secretary of State annodne- ing the Intention of the President to summon a conference of nations and asking if such move would meet with the approval of the British gov ernment
 Tn flash tho premier was on his feat.
 we acceptr he almost shouted, We accept gladly; we accept grate- fully. do not need to read the tele- gram. It Is all right; we will do everything in our power to make the conference great success.
 Lloyd GeOrge's Pledge
 That Is the pledge he gave and which he has kept to this evening, when, as we all regretfully realize his heart is heavy from apprehen- sion that the performance of more urgent duty may prevent him from affording at the beginning the help fitness of the great and unexampled prestige which can be fully rendered only through the actual presence oi so vivid personality"
 The ambassador told of the deliv- cry of the invitation to the confer ence Lord Curzor, the minister for foreign affairs, and the ambassador { call for the reply which had been drafted with the conventional open ing, The British government con firm their acceptance" etc.
 Lord curzon." said Colonel liar vey, read the answer and remarked
 "'Thls does not suffice. Then he wrote In:
 With the greatest satisfaction.
 What is true of those two heads of the British government" the am, bassador went on, Ifs equally true oi all British statesmen. irrespective oi their political or partisan proclivi. ties"
 Ambassador Harvey said that wher Lord Robert Cecil perceived in this conference no challenge to the League of nations he eviuced accurate dis. cernment," and the ambassador echoed Lord Bryce's assertion tha. it was impossible to overrate the fer. yer and hope with which the confer ence was regarded In America ana that America was not disposed tc stand aloof from old world affairs
 Quotes King George
 Viscount Grey was no less gener- ous than he was just, the speaker continued. when he declared his be lief that the American government was absolutely sincere and single minded and worthy of the absolute trust of all the other nations. He quoted King Georges message to President Harding and the latter's reply, and ad1ed;
 Back of sll their statesmen and publicists stsnd in wistful hope the entire peoples of our common race.
 Our own position is plain" he con tinued. America does not fear war Why should she? Geographically she is self-contained and self-sup- porting In all)respeets.
 Her long coast lines are made quately protected. Some of her most splendid cities would appear as tempting targets to the warriors of the seas But this circumstance rs relatively trivial. The greatest guns in the world could not create the havoc of an earthquake such as that from which San Francisco rose like q phoenix from It's ashes. more re- splendent than ever, in bare score of months.
 'It is a matter of most casual ob- servation that we should rebuild New York every third year. And back ot the cities and the coast lines lies a great country which constitutes the real America with a registered total of more than 24.700.000 men between the ages of IT and 45 capable of bear ing arms.
 simply Hate War ITO pronounce such land uncon. querable is to utter the meres' truism. No; America does not feai war; she simply hates it. But the security of the United States does not rest on her physica resources alone Her moral posi- | ton Is impregnable. Not only VII she never seek additional territor, | by conquest; she would not accept i i as gift.
 Within her borders lie unoccupies lands sufficient to sustain a popula | ton treble that which she now has We'll. indeed. may she rest content q friend to all nations and. so far a l her people are aware, without al