Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-02-04

sage OF the stormy atidHtlC ny
aerorlane. He and his associates
called upon tho President at the
Paris "White House, modest,
quiet younOuan In the uniform OF
A lieutenant-comman or the
American Navy. The members OF
the Big Four were just coming IN
az the moment TO their morning
meeting, and the President intro
duced them and the admirals with
them 90 Clemenceau, Lloyd
George and Orlando.
Il congratulate you," said the
President, referring to the adula-
ton they were receiving in Paris,
"on keeping your heads on the
ground as we'll as in the air."
Read and his companions had
halvcd the distance between
America and Europe: and many
there were To comment upon the
fact that IL this could he done In
peace II could be done in war
and going In either direction.
What then became Of the isolation
of any nation? Such possibilities
weighed heavily In many of the
discussions at Paris.
The French generals argued
strongly against permitting the
manufacture and use by the
enemy powers even OF commercial
acroplancs because they might,
almost overnight. be fitted with
explosives. possibly more danger
Gus Than any yet known. and in a
surprise attack destroy whole
cities.
Unknown Instr,imentAlitieS
Lord Hardinge (April c6th)
said "'hat the aerial situation
might by 1919 have so greatly
changed that II would be unwise
Tor the governments at present 20
say what should then be done"
Germany" said Lloyd George
april 2sth), might any day dis
she might suddenly overwhelm
her enemies.
Who could say what was in
mems mindsg And who could
stop them thinking, 10 II wa:
turned toward destruction?
Yet something had to be done
TO limit these new Instrumental.
tles-if not the establishment OF
any new general policy for all ma.
tions, at least the disarmament
of Germany.
President Wilson had seen the
larger aspects Of the problem with
prophetic eye. He asked ths
Peace Conference (January 25th
10 take a picture OF the world
into Its mind. lis IL not" he said
"a startling circumstance &.
that tho great discoveries OF
science, that the quiet studies OF
men in laboratories -. have now
beer turned 20 the destruction oi
ciyilization7"
He sets forth also the method
ms he sees II. for meeting this new
problem:
"Only the watchful and con-
tinuous cooperation of men car
see 10 II that science. as we'll as
armed man, is kept within the
harness OF civilization"
Harvesting Science TO Civilization
The discussion of this great new
problem began early in February
and continued, internationally, un-
I'll the middle of June-and was
then left unsettled In most OF its
really important phases. Whole
days were devoted TO argumenta-
tion. and every possible aspect of
the problem was threshed out. In
some OF the struggles over dis
armament there had developed, as
in connection with the abolition OF
compulsory military service. an
Americana point Of view as
contrasted with a French-Italian
point of view. hut i'm the case o1
these new instrumentalitics OF
war texcept submarines, where
the Americans and British were
substantially In agreement on the
policy: sink the pests") the
Americans had vigorous policy
of their own and all the. other ma
tons were against them. A clear
understanding OF these differences
OF view is of the utmost impor.
tahN'f A'i tn'N Ntilhc uONu 10 tHs
fundamentals not only of ths
Paris Peace Conference, but OF all
other international conferences.
Two things were at ONCE as
sumed by the conference; anc
brushed aside, as the most vita
problems often are. practically
without discussion.
First. that Germany should bs
utterly disarmed. SO far as mill
tary uses were concerned, of aero.
planes, poison gas. submarines
tanks, etc. Everyone agreed tc
that
Second, no one at Paris consid
cred for a moment any immediate
general reduction of armament ir
noted that when it came to spe
cif1c action In the conferences anr