Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-11-22
ARMS MANIFESTO
BY BRITISH LABOR

LONDON, Nov. 19.-(By The AS
ISOLATED Press.)-A manifesto issued
today by the labor party on behalf
Of the whole labor movement Of
Great Britain promises support of
any steps that may be necessary to
make the American proposals for
naval armament reduction effective,
and calls for the extension Of the
proposals to all forms Of armament.
The manifesto expresses regret at
certain tendencies lately felt in re-
lation to Great Britain and the
United States" adding that in view
Of the Washington conference Brit
ish labor proposes frankly to state
it's position, having always main
tanned a policy of friendship and CO.
operation between the two countries.
It asserts there are four main cues.
tions which have led to friction,
namely. Ireland, disarmament, the
Anglo-Japanese alliance and the
peace settlement. Regarding Ire
land, the manifesto says:
Should the present. conference
fail, labor will continue to demand
whatever constitution the Irish PEG.
pie desire, subject to the conditions
that it affords protection to minori-
ties and prevents Ireland becoming
a military or naval menace to Great
Britain
Regarding disarmament, the docu-
ment says:
GAS regards the special question
Of naval ornaments, which peculiar
ly concerns this country, America
and Japan, labor would support any
agreement among them imposing OBJ
| ligatory and drastic reduction and
limitation Of naval ornaments. 1t
| also favors the extension of this
| agreement to other countries, and
also to military armament, for it is
convinced that those measures of
disarmament imposed. upon the sew
eral defeated nations by the peace
treaties are capable of being applied
| by voluntary agreement among the
other nations to their own military
and naval ornaments"
Labor, declares the manifesto, has
always held that complete disarma-
ment depended upon the acceptance
by the various nations, particularly
the great powers, of certain princl'
pies Of international policy and Or
| ganization.
"F'irst: The nations will not dis
arm unless they know that there
is a regular method and machinery
in existence for the equitable settle
ment of international disputes, and
unless they have, irrespective OF
military strength or weakness, a
guarantee against aggression. La,
Dor, therefore, has always support
ed the idea of an association of ma
tions as the only practicable alter
native to ornaments and war, but
such an association must be open Il
all nations.
Second: Complete disarmament
is not practicable unless there is
| a general international settlement
Of an equitable and permanent char
| acter. No nation will permanently
| accept conditions which penalize 1t
racially, politically or economically
Such conditions exist today inside
and outside of Europe as the result
| of the peace treaties, and labor
holds that the revision of these un'
just penal terms is a condition prec'
edent to any complete disarmament
Third: It is improbable that
there can be complete disarmament
unless a considerable measure OF
equality and economic opportunity
is assured to all nations"
| The manifesto says the terms OF
the peace treaties which concern the
relations of Great Britain and the
United States are those dealing with
the disposal Of Germany's overseas
possessions and parts Of the Otto
man empire.
Labor" it continues. "is opposed
to the interpretations of any Of this
| territory in the British empire. 1t
proposes that these areas shall be
dealt with under the mandate sys'
TENS in accordance with the spirit
and the letter Of article XXI Of the
| covenant"
| The document concludes with a
statement of belief that the workers
of both Great Britain and the United
States share the same convictions
regarding foreign policy and inter
national relations and that "if they
| work together for the furtherance
of their common policy all posi-
bility of conflict or hostility between
the two countries will vanish and
the greatest step will have been
taken towards permanent world
peace"