The daily times., 1922-02-07
PRESIDENT OPTIMISTIC
PRESIDENT OPTIMISTIC
He Stands for Peace by Moral
Rather Than Physical Force,
and Says "Justice i. Better
Served in Conference Of
Peace Than in Conflict at
Arms"
(By David Lawrence. }

Copyright 1922 by the Daily
Times) n
Washington, Feb. 6.-President
Harding today turns the policy of
America back-some people will say
forward-to the power OF moral
rather than physical force.
This change-and Mr.. Harding
avowed it proudly in the concluding
speech of the Arms conference
means that henceforth the argument
that the best way to prevent war is to
prepare for it with military and nav
al strength will be abandoned and the
Republican Administration of today.
including the Congress of tomorrow,
will revert to the days before 1917
when reliance on moral justice was
misunderstood pacifism, when the
phrase "too proud to fight unfor-
|tunately conveyed to war-impassion-
ed minds an impression OF physical
|timidity.
SCI once believed in armed prepar-
edness," said President Harding to
the Arms Conference, Il advocated
lit. But I have come now to believe
there is a better preparedness in a
public mind and a world opinion
made ready to grant justice precisely
as it exacts it., And justice is better
served in conferences of peace than
| in conflict at arms
The foregoing quotation is the
most significant paragraph of the
closing address of Mr. Harding. AS a
mark of future pathways in Amer
lean policy, it is of far-reaching i'm
portance.
It was Mr.. Harding's associates in
the United States Senate who bitter
ly attacked President Wilson for his
refusal in December, 1914, to yield
to the pressure for armed prepared
mess Mr.. Wilson's belief that moral
force would triumph was tenaciously
held only to be abandoned in the
Ispring of 1917 with a program of
preparedness which preceded the
loutbreak of hostilities with Germany
Now that the war is over and the
pendulum has swung back to moral
Iforce, when indeed the Versailles
Icovenant is defeated in the same
american Senate because of its i'm.
!plications of physical force, the an
nouncement again by an American
president of his belief in moral force
land his abandonment Of the idea oi
larmed preparedness is not an exhibi
; Ition of American inconsistency. 1t il
Imerely a reversion to an original de
lsire that the world be ruled by mora
Justice instead of physical coercion
Again Mr.. Harding hopes as die
IMr. Wilson before the war clouds
with Germany gathered that America
need not prepare for war. Again
lAmerica asks the other nations tt
labandon the theory of armed prepar
ledness which developed militarism II
destructive war of history. Again
America points a finger of warning
Ito France with her large standing
army, that peace is better attained
Iby moral suasion than armed con
flict.
Except for a general expression o
hope that conferences like that held
at Washington may again be held a
appropriate times, there was no ples
for a rigid association of nations, M
4 formula for league of nations tt
: substitute the one created at Yer
, sailles. The President is treading eau
: tiously He doesn't want the debate il
!, the Senate to. be complicated by ex
affairs. He is driving hare
-inow for ratification and the proba
bilities are that until the treaties ART
1 lapproved by a two-thirds vote OF thu
1 American Senate, the decision of tn
/ fUnited States government on the par
(Continueo on page 81