Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-11-22
Business and Disarmament

TT should not be forgotten, IN the nlgh
tides of enthusiasm with which the pro-
posed reduction of ornaments has been
hailed in America and throughout the world,
that there are certain silent but powerful
vested interests who not so pleased at the
prospect, who indeed are alarmed and anger
ed and resolved to fight to the utmost for
their imperiled business. For these taX-lltt-
ing, peace-conserving proposals threaten the
prosperity of million FORCES of Mars. "Fhey
strike" says the Public Ledger of Ihiladel-
pEia, Eat jobs and careers, at dividends and
Industrial dreams; at great plants and WIN
tiers on the Riviera, at mighty yards and
mills and Shops and at private yachts DRIFT
ing under Caribbean moons. They will wipe
out mems futures, and dwindle fortunes made
Oh in the making. They will cut through one
of the oldest, thickest and deepest taproots
of war; carried through to their logical end
they will make old institutions and ancient
crafts no more than song that is sung and
q tale that is told
YET there would be no general or perma-
nent loss if every armament plant upon the
earth should be dismantled; rather, there
would be general and permanent gain, so
rich, so Wde-reaching, so inVigOratlng to the
great body of business and industry that men
would write forever in figures of sold the
date that marked the blessed alteration. 1t
is greatly to be doubted that dividends woul1
be cut or fortunes dWindled by even the most
drastic of disarmament programs. read
assuredly would be, anL In the transition
time a measure of discomfort and loss. But
we soon should realize that the capital and
energy and thought which hitherto has spent
in producing instruments of destruc-
ton could be much more profitably employ
ed in producing things for the service and ad-
vancement of men. Armament plants would
not be destroyed, their crews would not pc
discharged, their scientific processes WOULD
not be thrown into disuse; they all would be
converted, not forthwith perhaps but after a
while, to constructive labors. For the aim
of true peace, be it remembered, is not mere
ly to destroy swords but to beat them into
plOWshares.
Rat this is not vision but g probability
rooted in substantial experience will appear
from glance at present-day Germany There
we have an example of enforced disarma-
ment and it's fruits. The most militant,
most be-mailed, most deeply involved of all
war-dreamers and war-makers was COM
PEELED by the world whose freedom she had
challenged, to strip her gorgeous armor off
and put on the weeds of peace: How stands
the industrial result in this third winter since
the armistice? What has become of the
giant munition plants? How fare the multi
tudes of laborers W o were wont to live by
concentrating? Whittier go the materials
that war industries once consumed, the
ideas that they once utilized? Have these
been demolished, or thrown out of employ
ment, or rendered useless and idle? Con-
trariWise, the plants are buster than ever,
the workmen better employed, the materials
more in demand, the ideas turned to Infinite
ly higher md more productive ends The
great cities of the Krupps, that once looked
to war for their prosperity and their very ex-
istence, are thriving upon arts of peace.
Machinery that once roared in the name of
hate and death, now sings a song of service
and of life.
So will it. be the world around, if the
economic and social truth behind the dis
armament program be given flir chance to
work out its blessings for mankind. Far
from hurting any rightful realm of industry,
it will hearten and enrich them all. Think
of the vast sums which reduction of the
worlds armament building by even one-half
would release for productive enterprise.
Think of the impetus to American prosperity
If small fraction of the billions now
spend on batteships were devoted to educa-
ton and to scientific research in the interest
of agriculture and manufacturing. 1t does
not take idealsm to see the golden possibill-
ties of the cause now astr at Washington
and in minds and hearts throughout the
earth. 1t takes simply business judgment
and common sense