The Columbia evening Missourian., 1921-11-12
LEAGUE SENDS
APPROVAL BY
RENE VIVIANI
Council of Nations Will Coop.
crate With America in
Limitation of Arm
anentS.
FORMAL REPORT MADE
Policies of Washington Confer
ence Will Be in Accord
With Those of AL
lied Powers.
By DAVID LAWRENCE
lCnpiEiehfed l92ll

WASHINGTON. Nov. l2.-Rene Viviani
former Premier of France. and member
of the French delegation to the Wash
ington conference, has brought with hin
the reports and conclusions reached b.
the Commission on Armament appointed
by the League of Nations and Of which
he is chairman.
Far from regarding the American pro
ject as rival affair. the league formal,
expresses its approval of the initiative Of
the President of the United States and
promises him cooperation.
Next in importance 10 the disarma
ment of Germany" says the leagues for
NAL report. comes the proposal Of Pres
ident Harding that a conference should
meet at Washington TO discuss disarma
ment and the settlement of the political
problems of the Pacific The League Of
Nations. which exists for the purpose Of
securing international concord. naturall,
welcomes with great satisfaction the in
itiatiye Of President Harding.
The limitation of naval armament:
which will be one Of the principal prob
lens discussed at the conference al
Washington. can indeed be most effect.
lively secured by a common agreement
between the Powers. 1t is earnestly to
be hoped that this conference will be
fruitful. and that the reduction of the
land armamenis on the Continent of Eu-
lope will be supplemented by an under.
standing relating 70 the reduction OF ma.
val armament.
THE LEAGUE COVENANT
when the covenant of the league was
formed, il contemplated a situation in
which all nations were members of a
single league and hound to one another
by the common purpose of maintaining
peace throughout the globe. 1t assumed
that all nations would be at peace with
one another. and that the world would
have settled down 10 a position of sta
bility after the commissions Of the great
war. Ii is needless to say that these conf
ditions have so far only been realized in
part.
Three great Powers. one Of them act.
ually. and the others potentially Of i'm.
mense military importance, stand out.
side the league, and so long as the Unit.
ed States, Germany and Russia do not
participate in our society, great Difficult.
ties confront the common adoption by
ith members for plan for the systematic
and progressive reduction Of armaments
or for full. frank and unreserved com.
munication of military information.
GERMAN ARMY RESTRICTION
Indeed, in the whole course Of his.
rory, no single step has been taken SO
important and far-reaching in its pro.
bable effects as the abolition Of con.
scription in Germany and the restriction
Of the regular military force Of thai
country TO a voluntary army not exceed
ing the limits necessary for internal de-
tense.
1T is not too much TO say that the
steadfast maintenance Of this situation
will not only enable progressive reduc
lions to be made in the military estab
lishments of our countries but carries
with IT, as necessary corollary, the
peace Of Western Europe. Meanwhile
field of useful work remains open tc
the League Of Nations The financial po
siiion of European states imperiously de
mands further reductions in military ex
penditure, and indeed it is NOT too much