The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-05-28
Would REDUCE
LAND ARMAMENT
House Leaders Inclined to
Carry Disarmament Be
yOnd B0rah's Plan
PRESIDENT AGREES
TO IGN SUCH BILL
VIII Garry Out Wishes Of Congress In
the Matter-House VIII Work Out
Compromise Resolution, Including
World Ii Disarmament Conference.
by DAVID LAWRENCE.

by DAVID LAWRENCE.
Especial Despatch to The Reformer.)
Copyright 1921.
WASHINGTON. May 2S.-President
Harding and Representative MondeI,
Republican leader of the house. have
practically agreed that if any expression
is made by the congress of the United
States on the subject of disarmament it
ought to include not merely the reduction
of naval armament but the land arma-
ment al well.
Mr.. Mondell today asked the Presi-
dents advice on a situation which has
arisen in the house which must now pass
the Borah resolution unanimously
adopted by the senate and providing
merely that the United States consult
with Japan and Great Britain about the
reduction of naval armament. The house
membership. generally speaking, feels
that the Borah resolution is not broad
enough and that not only the naval but
the military forces of the world should
be reduced in size in order that the tax
burden may be less everywhere and eco
nomic construction thus aided.
Again and again the house has ex-
pressed itself in favor of either a nava
holiday or general disarmament. and Rep
~rcsentative Mondell told the President
that he believed that the house will like
to broaden the scope of the Borah reso-
luton. He inquired if Mr.. Harding had
any objection to such a course and found
that the President would sign any reso-
Tdtion which the leaders of both houses
worked out.
The President is committed to disarm-
ament. so are all the Republican leaders.
but the method and form of reaching a
conclusion on this vital subject has
..,,~h% A-N ....l .lEAcnNawanG- nF AnFnTnrp
Fundamentally there was no objection
to Mr.. Borah's purpose but it was felt
that the subject was one that should be
left to the President to work out in his
own way. But as Mr.. Mondell explained
today to the President it Is a question
and not a theory which faces the house.
For the senate has unanimously adopted
the BOrah resolution. The house cannot
ignore that vote. Nor does it desire to
do so if the executive is ready to proceed
with the movement for disarmament. n
house has merely waited upon the wishes
of the President.
Mr.. Mondell found the President ready
to proceed with the disarmament plan
and therefore the leaders of the two
houses will work out a compromise reso-
hutton which will authorize the PresI-
dent to call n conference Of the nations
of the world to discuss the reduction OF
land and sea ornaments and will leave
II to Mr.. Harding : discretion TO say
what nations shall be invited and
when the conference shall take place.
In other words. although it was not
deemed advisable at first even to pass the
Borah resolution. the passage of that
measure by the senate has FASTENED the
decision of the administration to tackle
the subject Of disarmament as the whole.
And it will be the purpose of the senate
and house leaders to draft Il resolution
which will express the opinion of the
congress of the United States in such en-
phatic terms throughout the world. which
will p~hysioIogically assist the entire dis
armament movement. The President and
Mr.. Nondell talked over the phraseology
Of the resolution. and Mr.. Harding eX-
pressed no objection to the Porter rcso-
luton which differs from the Knox pro-
posal in that it eliminates the clause re
pealing the original declaration of war.