The Washington times., 1921-11-20


Fosnaer Premier and Member Of the
French Academy Of Immortals.
Special Cable to Universal Service.
Copyright. 1891. by Universal Service.
PARIS, Nov. 19.-While French
opinion divides its applause between
President Harding's discourse at the
opening of the conference at Wash.
ington and Secretary Hughes pro-
positions my view Ii that the speech
of President Harding was SO favorably
received because he expounded the
same doctorine that IL vibrating In the
hearts of the majority of the French
people.
In the terms that were admirable
for their very sincerity President Har-
ding translated politically the cry Of
the combatants:
I'VE suffer. we die. At least let
this be the last war"
Summed up. this IL the idealistic
view of the international relationship
for which France and the allies united
against Germany.
Nobody forgets that in the year 1898.
Gar Nicholas then the ally Of France,
inaugurated the first great peace con-
ference, proposing limitation of arma-
Likewise nobody forgets that 1t was
Germany which opposed these princi-
pies.
Concerning naval limitation. nobody
win forget, either, that England on
the very eve of the war, through an
an intermediary-Lord Haldane-pro-
posed q limitation of naval construc-
ton, which Germany again declined to
consider because her decision had been
taken regarding peace-she preferred
war. As q result of that decision the
worst war of history was fought. ].
To prevent q return of such catas-
trophies, France theoretically mani
tested at Versailles q disgust and
hatred for all imperialism, claiming
nothing from Germany except Alsace-
Lorraine. contenting herself with
platonic securities which since have
not been realized. She set her face
toward the enormous burden of the
reparation and commenced to labor
for peace.
Premier BRAND has transplanted
the sentiment of all French people in
the dramatic words:
Ground arms"
, It is, therefore. with the hope of
great success for President Harding
that the entire world. and particularly
tnOSe WHO suffered InOSt extremely
from the war, will enter with him In
the new era of war against war.
Application Of the Hughes PROPOSE
ton providing for a truce in naval
building and the proportional suppress
sion of armament beginning with
America itself. didn't directly concern
France. who, nevertheless, has consid-
cred the proposals with sangfroid.
Isolated, she was content to remain
spectator, accepting with satisfaction
the noble declarations of Balfour and
Kato wherein they accepted. subject
to reservation. o.
We can profit by waiting for the
period of considering the question
with a view to it's international con-
sequences which certainly merit con-
sideration. Hughes offers as the
first consideration, ''limitation of
ornaments" whereas II may be de-
bated whether the wisest and most
logical move would not have been to
consider first, not disarmament It.
self, but the politics Of disarmament.
This brings us hack to President
Harding's. speech, In which we find
his words demanding that the peo-
pie renounce bellicose ideas. Literal
ly. this means a limitation of i'm
perialistic ideas, for ornaments, after
all, are the only means of serving
II one wants to fight,
one can do so just as easily with
ten cruisers as with twenty. with