Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-04-27
nISARM ME nj.


We spoke yesterday of the enormous
cost 90 war. and OF the staggering bur
don at debt which OF necessity has been
s.,illcd upou the backs of the Amer
i,.n PEOPLE. We Indicated the danger
which lies ahead # Mr.. Harding con
t,nilcs his bcllicose uttcrauccs. instead
of ,xerttnE All efforts toward solving
a., rrehlems of peace. Of reconstruc-
t,or and economic rehabilitation which
,r...a, tho fun resumption OF trade
al industry
l.ru,, secretary of the Navy Dan
#, /, special article which appeared
s...I., IN tho 81 Louis Post Dispatch
a 4 .uztratcd that there can be no re-
d.,t.n ,n w,u taxes without reduction
II ru,amcuts mat thcrc can be no
,tton of armameuts without an in
.r.tiuuaI agreement. that therv can
l. IS International agreement without
n.A, ~ this country for such agree
Ia.rt mat therefore the new Admins
tiai.a should take steps to save the
l,..la, IL America a billion dollars
,,r uow bcing expended in the arma-
n.f. rtcs
Tb, enormous burdens which we are
i.ane can - more easily appreciated
wb,u i is remembered that the United
STATES has spent since 1879. only ST.,
ouo ooo.ooo in civil projects. and s5S.-
uoo.ooo.oOO in militaristic enterprises.
YET this il not an empirical nation. We
ha,e simply been forced to defend our
selves. obviously the only remedy for
r4cn situation is an agreement by
th, great nations for the Imitation or
stmaments.
rhc League ~ Nations contains an
Armament commission the duty Of
which Is "a bring about cessation o.
continued preparation FOR war. But
TINS nation. being on the outside Of the
carue. has no hand in the Commits
SONS AFFAIRS MIR Harding has spoken
,tguel, ~ an association or nations to
SINS about peace But that idea evi-
asnul is in nehulous state even in
I~ own mind to judge by the involved
uad cloudy utterances which he has
made on several occasions.
Sin,, Ne are not member OF the
tNstue League. and as the Harding
association is only a vague conception,
and uo. reality and because lirnita-
tior ., armament is necessary TO
r,du. uon II war taxes and resumption
e normalc> the only way toward
pei1uanen, relief is an agreement upon
disarmament by the leading naval and
military powers. especially the former.
Ali Harding has signifeo his willing
hess Ia have TINS nation lead such
mo, ement Representative Rogers Of
IT, committee on Foreign Affairs has
iitroduced into the House a bill au-
tuolzine the President 10 call a con-
fel,r,s II representatives Of this ma
tor Japan. Great Britain. France and
Itaiz L. discuss the reduction OF arma-
ut,nt II is presumed that this bill
vii nave an easy passage through
Congress
u IS interesting 10 note that the
navy bll Of August. 1915. which au-
thorized the three and one-half years
building program. gave the President
authority to call such a conference
and to check the building program if
an agreement could be made. Evil
dently Mr. Harding wishes the build
ing program 10 be completed before
acting under the authority of that bill,
Or OF the Rogers bin when the latter is
passed
When Mr. Harding calls his confer
ence II should not be a difficult matter
for the representatives to agree upon
limitation OF armaments in all coun-
tries conceTned. Americas tax bur
dens may seem heavy. but they are
negligible compared with the loads
which the citizens Of Japan. Great
Britain France. Italy, and other war
ridden countries are bearing. No sane
man in any country viii object 10 such
action. The peoples Of the earth de-
sire peace-especially the fighting men
who know what war really is. 1t is
only the hreside- -profiteer who speaks
al the glory OF conflict To those who
know. war is merely sordid misery
which al times must be endured il
their nations live.
II Mr Harding can induce the lead