Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-02-11
THE THM OF PEACE

When a British member of parliament a few
days ago criticized the Washington arms confer
ence at Washington, as dealing only with the arith-
metic of peace, Premier Lloyd George replied to
the criticism in the following terms:
When Mr.. Clynes says that it only dealt
with what he called the arithmetic of peace. !
really do not know what he means. Ali these
things resolve into arithrnetic-how many
ships, what tons, how many guns, what men
everything of that kind if it is to be practical,
If it is to reach any definite conclusion, must be
arithmetical. The arithmetic of peace, then.
means reducing the dynanics OF war, and that
was done.
W have had experience of the other class
of conference. Before the war at The Hague
conferences, great resolutions were passed but
never reduced to arithmetic. When the great
quarrel came those resolutions were. swept
away like cobwebs. They did not retard for
a single hour, for a single second, the march of
armies or the steaming of men-of-war. 1t is
only when you come to reduce this proposition
to arithmetic that you begin to do the business
of peace, and Mr.. Balfour has properly inter-
= preted his business and instead of asserting to
vague resolutions, which would have ended in
nothing. he has reduced them to practical pro-
posals."
The premier's reply is apt, and his illustrations
are pertinent. His reference to the Hague confer
cnces is particularly appropriate. The adoption of
and the formulation of general pri1-
NiplSS IL uSClul III ohdpl1lS sentiment. But II we
stop there nothing is accomplished. If sentiment is
to find expression in acts, there must be something
specific, and we Must get right down to mathe-
mates.
1t would have been easy for Secretary Hughes,
at the beginning of the conference, to set forth in
general terYls the desirability Of limiting armament,
and to have suggested some general methods where
by this end might be reached. But if that course
had been adopted it is quite likely that the con-
ference would still be in session with nothing done,
if it had not already adjourned, having given up
hope of reaching real results.
Instead of this, Mr.. Hughes got right down to
the arithmetic of the case. He brought the nations
face to face with the fact that if it is desired to
diminish the number 4 so that 2 will remain, it will
be necessary to subtract two. That is what he did.
And the conference. followed him. He proposed
the cutting of the navies of the world in two. In
order that there might be no misunderstanding he
proposed that each nation should scrap certain par
ticular ships and retain certain others, each being
specified Dynamo and describedaa as to size and arm
ament.
It was on this basis that the whole work Of the
conference was performed, and the result is that
the naval burden of the world is lightened by at
least half, and that forces have been set in motion
which will diminish the need for other armament,
and which will result in the progressive decrease
in the burden Of maintaining armed forces.
The British members reference to the "arith-
mctic OF peace" is unfortunate from the standpoint
of his own argument. But he has coined a phrase
which is likely TO come into current usage in sup
port Of opinions directly opposite to his own.