Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-06-23
Secretary Weeks
Rattles
The Sabre Again

TO supplement- the good news from
many quarters indicating an active
armament reduction and closer IT,
ternationsl understanding. II - for
tunate that the college commence
inent season II this country IL draw
Ing to an end. Otherwise Secretary
Weeks might cease to be = puzzle and
get to be a mischief maker.
Something in the atmosphere ~
academic shades irresistfhly irppaTs
the Secretary Of War to sound the
tocsin, beat the drum. rattle tho sabre
and take up arms against world ~
straw enemies. He began less than
i've weeks ago with an inapt speech
at the New York University COM
mencsment. He followed il up ve--
terday with q commencement speech
at Tufts which sounded like the good
old days of early 1914 when nobody
wanted war.
No one wants to fight" said Mr.
Wsezs yesterday. Then why IN bsav-
ems name talk fRht7 The gpcra-
tary's beiiicose strain is All the more
puzzlinE because tucked away in his
speeches there is usually a statement
of facts which makes nonsense of his
warlike fury. Up on University
Heights he declared in the most en-
phatic terms imaginable, that war be-
tween this country and Great Brit
ain is an inconceivable folly. lie de-
ciared that even if the statesmen ia
the two nations were Tnad enough 10
bring on trouble the peoples would
rise up against their leaders. The
obvious conclusion should have been
a cheerful one. With the two most
powerful nations i'm the world bound
to friendship, we have obviously the
solid beginning for movement 20
assured world peace: we are obvi-
ousiy at time when reduced arna-
ments can be safely discussed. But
no, says Mr.. Weeks. The time is not
here. Apparently the time for dis
cusaing armament reduction will come
when the United States and Great
Britain are snarling at each other.
So at Tufts yesterday Mr.. Weeks
properly reminded his audience that
Ne have cut down our army to 15O.-
000 men. But did he cite that fact
armament reduction. as proof that the
American people is convinced that
the time has come to build a solid
structure Of good win and under
standing among the nations? He did
not. He preferred to remind his au-
dience of a world preparing for
war" of England at war, France at
war, other nations in conflict: ali
this based on reliable and complete
information which we cannot a.
vuige,9
II Secretary Weeks has such infor-
nation it is his duty to make il pub
lie. For if the facts are what he says
they are, they are contrary TO all the
information accessible to the people.
1t is mischevious to assert. even in
directly. that England and France are
planninlS war at a time when Great
Britain publicly is courting the sup
port of America, when France has 4
gone out Of her way 10 re-
tain the sympathies of America. This I
we are told at the very moment when 4
Lloyd Geprge openly announces Eng
lands desire TO discuss limitation OF 4
81 hAaAittrnkH Win tAtE 1EiiGQ states.
Lloyd Georges declaration: direct /
intimations from France that she is
eager TO work with us expressed I
from japan to discuss arm
ament reduction: an international
court OF justice in the process OF
organization; the League of Nations
settling in important territorial dis
pute between Sweden and Finland:
France talking cooperation with Ger
many--all these signs OF a world NOV
ing away from the war passion TO
sanity. and our Secretary OF War must
needs make it the occasion FOR talk
ing like War Lord
Mr.. Harding. MIR. Hughes, Mr.. Hoo
yer. and others at Washington must
an intense sense OF weari-
ness at the Weeks combination Of the Z
cap and gown and the sabre. Some
one should sit down with Mr.. Weeks 4
and explain to him that at no time is
there anything TO be said for policy 4
Of carrying small stick and making
A large noise; and certainly today is
not the time.