Evening star., 1922-01-03
EDITORIAL DIGEST
The Undersea Assassin in Court,

The Undersea Assassin in Court.
! With the Washington conference
seemingly deadlocked as to the dis
| position OF the submarine, the Min
neapolis Tribune (republican) makes
merry over the move to reform the
little bandit. if it must remain at
large. Everybody agrees that the ami
able little boat manifested little too
| much exuberance during the late fray
Its frolicsome spirits. however. are
to be curbed in the future. When the
| worid-public is told of the standard
! OF etiquette which the gentle sub
marine is to live up to in the next
| war. we trust that all countenances
will be properly respectful. and that
rude enough to wink"
| Passing from ironical to direct
phrase, the Wheeling Register (demo-
! cratic) cries: "Poppycock! What did
| Germany care for international con-
ventions? What will any otner war
! mad country care in the future for
| international understandings If pos
| sessed with the implements with
| which to undertake ruthless war;"
mo nation" says the Baltimore
| American (repubiican), sis going to
| admit to the world that it would use
| the submarine with the ruthless pre-
| cision adopted by the Germans; and
! yet everybody knows that in a pinch,
| facing desperate situation, any ma
| tion would find excuses for any means
it thought really effective to win
I war for existence" and the New Or
mo agreement" that banned the sub
| marine would be kept by any nation
| in time of desperate extremity"
The Savannah News (democratic)
| lar weapon on the ground of its secret
and terrible hitting power should not
! be taken very SERIOUSLY view shared
| by the Chicago Tribune independent
republican,. which states that the way
! to avoid wars sufferngs lis not by at
tempting to make 1t as painless as ten
! MIS-" That the submarine ''is a pow
erful craft for purely defensive pur-
poses." is the belief Of the Austin (Tex)
Statesman tdemocratic), and the fact
! that Britain breads its use in her mar
row seas is no reason why our dele
gates, who have to think of q country
! bounded by oceans. should attempt the
! impossible by voting for its abolition" :"
The Saginaw News Courier Gndepend-
ent), admitting that 'there is not the
come of submarines" were popular SEN
| timent gratified. feels that responsible
governments find that it is not always
| best or even practical to yield to senti-
ment"
Undoubtedly, the great mass Of
liked to see this government back
| the British plan." is the opinion Of
the Charleston IS. CO. News and
Courier (democratic). conclusion in
which the Oklahoma City Oklahoman
(democratfc) concurs. IF the pres
r0s1 -
agreement on this subject we must
not be discouraged" the San Fran
cisco Chronicle Independently thinks
for eventually it must CO." and the
st. Louis Globe-Democrat (republi-
CAM feels that there is SO much
sympathy throughout the world for
the British position" in desiring total
abandonment of the submarine that
such an appeal might be embarrass-
ing to the conference, the majority Of
whose members are strongly opposed
to this extreme measure"
The Emporia Gazette independently
thinks that every weapon of war
world that much nearer a state
where arbitrament and council will
replace force" and the Des Moines
Register progressive republican,
characterizes "the muddle into which
the nations have fallen over the sub
can doubt America, by either pro-
posing to abandon the submarine or
| by being ready to join with Britain
promptly when Britain proposed it.
could have freed the world from the
most serious menace to world peace"
That the British view of the SUBJ
marine is far more in accord with
the general spirit and purpose of the
conference than are the views Of the
nations which would cling to the
U-boats as valued arms OF defense"
is the opinion Of the Roanoke World
York Globe independently. character
izing the American position as "The
Great Refusal" says: What we really
propose, so long as we stick to sub
marines, is to make war cheap and
to gain Ss much advantage as we can
from the naval ratio which we have
proposed"
Commenting upon the attitude Of
the respective powers represented at
the conference with respect to sub.
marines. the Springfield Republican
(fndependent) considers "a compro-
mise peculiarly dificult" since mo
twoAof the fiye powsgs have the same
submarines 'is almost as selfish az
the French ambition for more battle-
ships" states the Indianapolis Star
Qndependent republican,. and az q
consequence 1t Is the part OF AmefI-
can Craftsmanship to maintain q keen
England wishes very much for the
prohibition Of submarines and France
insists on q considerable feet of them.
there is. of course, an opportunity for
compromise. BRAND would cheerfully
give up capital ships and submarines
| ion of the Philadelphia Record Cnde-
pendent democratic), while the Jersey
City Journal Independently feels that
| the blame for the 'reactionary'
French spirit" should be placed "upon
1.-THE shoulders of America. whore y