The Colorado statesman., 1921-12-03
AME RIGA HAS NO
AXES To GRIND
HER ATTITUDE IN ARMAMENT
CONFERENCE rs uNsELFIsH.
HER DESIRES eENEFlcENT.
OTHER NATIONS KNOW THIS
Basic Reason for Calling Of the Meet
ing is Economic and II viii Really
Be a Business Procedure to Cut Down
the Expenditures Of the Nations.
BY EDWARD 8. CLARK.

To secure lasting peace, the motives
for the calling of the arms Limitation
conference are in the largest sense
economic. President Harding. and of
course millions with him. recognized
the generally frightful conditions
which exist all over the world. He
believed that he had some influence
and some power which might make
for the relief of these conditions.
Therefore the great nations of the
world were invited TO send represen-
tatives to Washington on Armlstlce
day to give consideration to means by
which the worlds armaments can be
cut. AS a preliminary to the limita-
tlon of armaments, 1t is known that
the problems of the Far East must
be solved. Therefore the two great
matters were combined in the call for
the conference.
The basic reason, aside from any
consideration of peace on earth, good
will toward men, for the calling of
| the conference on the limitation of
armaments, is that the money which
the peoples of earth are providing to
kill their fellows may be turned into
the channels of beneficent trade and
beneficent living.
There Is every reason to know that
the administration plus the State de-
partment. which is of course a part
of it, is firm today in its conviction
that something strong and good Is
to be the result of the comforting to-
gether of men who virtually have
plenipotentiary powers. These powers
are plenipotentiary today because they
come from the people of the world
rather than from the politicians
thereof The time is past when the
foreign offices or any officials of gov
ernment can work their will without
regard to the masses of the people.
America Has No Selfish Aim.
In the conference which began
nominally on the eleventh, but in fact
on the fourteenth of this month, the
representatives of the United States
will sit free from any anxieties con-
| cerning a failure to secure this or that
which may work to the selfish ad-
vantage of their country. All that
they will want is the settlement of
|
tion of armaments on an equitable
basis.
The conferees in behalf of the other
nations know already that the United
States wants nothing in the way of
territory, nothing in the way of ex
elusive trade. and nothing which will
work wrong to any other nation on
earth.
1--WE want nothing that they right
fully have, but they cannot have any
thing that rightfully belongs to u.s." In
the quoted paragraph perhaps IS to
be found n short statement of the
exact position of the United States in
entering into the conference.
When 1t is said that the United
States will not surrender anything
that 1t has, 1t of course is meant, that
1t will not give up anything which 1t
considers vital to the interests of its
people but it does not mean that
the United States will not yield in
matters upon which it has seemingly
fixed Judgment, provided there Is GER
tainty of yielding on the part of
others.
1t can be deduced readily enough
from everything which has been said
or intimated by the administration
through its various channels of vocal
approach to the people, that the situa-
tion from the American viewpoint is
"yye have no axes to grind, no grudges
to settle, no scores to even; our de-
sires are beneficent let them be met
in like spirit"
Business, Not Sentiment, to Rule.
If might be just as well for the
American people to know that there
is no illusion in Washington that
evervthing to be done at the confer
once is to Ike done because of the
dictates of friendship and good WILL
NOT a nation is represented which
will not have in mind the selfish in
terests of its people, their jealousies
and a pretty fair understanding of
inst how much its people will stand
for in the way of yielding, and also
Iet IT be said in the way of pressing.
The conference in the highest sense
is n business procedure. An agree
mont for the limitation of armaments
js business matter. 1t Is financial
matter Figures are cold, but figures,
nancy figures, are dominating factors
In the limitation of armaments problem
which is to be solved.
OF course the entire navy program
os No nation will be -pencled in
everv line Every great nation which
hoe sea coast will have something
of navy. Great Britain's navy of the
future. and the navies of Japan and
tba United States, will be navies of
size. but all things are comparative,
and If the cutting comes 1t VIII be
deep cutting and cutting which the
people will say probably Is well done.
Many Foreign Journalists.