The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1921-12-23
BORAH WANTS
DISARMAMENT
IN REAL FORM
Submarine and Poison Gas
Questions Have Developed
Into Conference Issues
Actual Settlement Awaited.
SOL0N'S SPEECH VITAL
BY MARK SULLIVAN

conference must admit that it is just
now in the midst of hurdles. At the
present moment the submarine. is be
ing treated as if il were an issue be-
tween Great Britain and France. and
As If any compromise achieved be-
tween them would be satisfactory set
tlement of it.. This would be. a COM
Portable thought, only ii fails to take
account of the amount of public senti-
ment both in the senate and in Amer
lea outside the senate, which regards
America as an interested party, in the
submarine controversy.
America has not carefully read or
fully weighed the speech which Sen
ator Borah made in the senate 10 days
ago. | am told that this speech has
been cabled TO Europe and reprinted
there. And been made the basis of
important European policy in those
quarters which realize the power of
the American senate in international
affairs. Borah made that speech to
serve warning on the conference. He
said:
The justification for the remarks
am going TO make is that it may not
be said hereafter that | did not speak
at time when possibly what had to
say might have been listened to in
other places | do not want to be
stopped hereafter by silence at this
time"
Conference Acts Factors
Then Senator Borah went on to say,
among other forceful declarations.
''the extent ard vigor OF my opposi-
tion TO this treaty will be determined
very largely by what the conference
does with reference to real disarma-
Z. ,6fa
ence to China
little later on Senator Borah said
that his policy would be to 'elimin-
ate submarines and Danish them from
the sea entirely"
II is very we'll known that in this
latter sentiment about the submarine
Senator Borah is supported by some
other senators and by large and I'M
portant sources and eXponents OF
American public opinion. Merely TO
achieve satisfactory compromise be-
tween Franch, which wants subn1ar-
ines. and Great Britain. which does
not want them, will be far short of
satisfactory ending of the troubles or
the conference over this particular
form of armament.
Interested in China
Senator Borah said that the extent
of his opposition to the treaty will be
determined also by what the confer
ence does with reference to China.
We haven't heard much from confer
ence about China recently. The in
ternal troubles of that unhappy coun-
try undoubtedly add greatly to Amer
ica's difficulties in trying to set China
on her feet. 1t may reasonably be
expected. however, that in spite of
handicaps the American delegates
will hold firmly to their program
about China.
There remains one other subject
about which the friends of success Tor
the conference are disturbed. 1t ism
possible to say whether it is the pres
Cnt intention of the conference TO take
up, or not take up, poison gas. When
France. early in the conference, de
clared that she wasn't going to sub
nit the size of her army to interna-
tional discussion, the world took 1t ior
aranted that land armament was
eliminated from the conference agen-
da. Whether the conference itself
took that view cannot be told.
When the delegates are asked wheth-
er or not they still intend to take UP
land armament, they give evasive re
plies to the effect that nothing can
he regarded as finally passed over un
til the conference ends.
Question of Gas
Whether land armament is out Of
the discussion or not, the question
still remains whether poison gas ear
be regarded as wholly under the heac
of land armament. And whether il
could not be brought up as incident tc
naval armament. About all this there
is nothing clear. But what is clear is
that there is a powerful section O
opinion in America which regards the
limitation, or total outlawing of poison
gas as essential if this conference Ii
to be regarded as having really strik
ing success.
There is high military judgment tt
the effect that 10 years from nov
most of the other form of warfare viii
be regarded as innocuous compared t
poison gas, and that conference
which fails to deal with it is, in eft
feet, confining itself to the obsolete
rather than to present and comlni
danger.
/ am told that General Pershinl
and General March both believe tha
poison gas should be severely re
stricted or completely outlawed, ant
T have heard high military authoritie
say that a country could be stripped
of every sort of military equipment
but if it had an ordinary industrla
plant for the production of dyes AM
chemicals il could, within space o
four weeks. turn such plant into
military machine of greater deadhnes
than anything ever used in the pas
Copyright 1921 by The New 1ori
Evening Post, Inc.)