New-York tribune., 1921-11-11
College Alumni
Say Conference
Must Not Fail
Gathering at Town Hall, in,
Speech and Resolution,
Urges U. S. Delegates to
Lead in Disar1ning Farley
S'U. S. Has Power; Use IT.
Business Sagacity of Nations
Leaders Alone Dictates
Success, Declares Hibben

Representative alumni of more than
thirty colleges and universities
throughout the country gathered at a
mass meeting in Town Hall last night
to discuss the forthcoming armament
! conference at Washington. In speech
and resolution the meeting urged upon
the American representatives at the
conference determined stand for the
reduction and limitation of armaments,
and suggested that the United States
show the way to the other nations by
| making the first offer to retrench in
it's armament program,
DR.. John Grier Hibben, president of
Princeton University, who was the
principal speaker, said that if the
Washington conference failed to ac-
+, complish it's purpose 1--WE would be con
strained to challenge the business
.sagacity of our government represent
! atives; we would have to declare the
/ fHtility of sacrifice, and we would be
! compelled to confess that America has
lost the great chance of leadership in
| the world.
Must Exercise Power
"Thc hundreds Of thousands that
died during the war will have died in
vain if this conference does not &C
complish something" DR.. Hibhen con-
tinued. "They fought for peace, and
we insist that our representatives do
something that shall assure to US 8
permanent peace. We have the power
We have long ago established our dis
interestedness in world matters. We
can set standard on limitations that
other nations will be bound to follow
If we do not exercise this power we
hands. Public opinion should be To-
cused at Washington and we must
| show our representatives that we are
behind them.
"Lct us say we will agree TO limit
our ornaments. If we do this it will
be the first step toward permanent
peace. 1t will Immediately dispel fear
among nations. The time has come
| for change in world conditions. This
| change must make war impossible.
think that is possible. The body of
| the unknown soldier at Washington
stands as q symbol to us that the con-
ditions he represents must be banished
| forever.
Franklin II. Giddings, professor of
sociology at Columbia University,
said that there would never again be
war of great powers as harmless as
the last one. Another war would be
fought with devices so ingenious, he
said, that a handful of these engines
shot over New York would destroy the
city in the flip Of a finger. Unless
there was courage enough to stop the
thing where it was civilization would
disappear, he said. He urged that the
mass Of the people insist by every
/ means in their power on real effort
to put an end to wars. If the con-
ference decides for some sort of li,nita-
tion Of battleship building and arn1a-
ment program generally, he added, it
will have the most tremendous effect
in the moral history Of mankind.
Initiative by u. S.
"Some nation must take the initia-
tive" he concluded, "and give evil
dence that it believes the thing can
be done. We should take the initia-
tive"
A resolution adopted at the meeting
read, in part: Because we believe
that bearing arms is a certain and po-
tent cause Of mutual ill-will, as we'll as
an intolerable burden upon the efforts
and achievements Of our personal and
business future, we, with respect, ask
our representatives at Washington
that they give heed to take such steps
as in their judgment are necessary to
establish that concord of justice, toll
erance and good will upon which a
lasting peace alone may rest"
The resolution was introduced by
Charles H. Mapes. of Columbia Uni
yersity,