The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1922-01-13
ouARRELLlNe ABOUT NOTHING

In the formal invitation to the
Principal Allied and Associated Pow
ers to attend the Conference for the
Limitation of Armament, President
Harding suggests that lit may also
be found advisable to formulate pro-
pcsals by which in the interest of hui
mainly the use of the new agencies
of warfare may be suitably CONTROL
ed"
! By new agencies of warfare the
President referred in particular to
submarines, aircraft and poison gas,
but is was quite apparent on Aug.
II, when the invitation was sent out,
as it is today that the conference
would be incapable of reaching an
agreement by which the use of these
, agencies could be suitably CONTROL
ed" Nor has any effort been made
at the conference to control them
What the delegates are now SQUAD
bling about is submarine ratio and
few things are less important than
submarine ratio; for submarines are
comparatively inexpensive and are
quickly built In time of war almost
any country that cha make steel can
produce them. Nothing better illus
trates the facility of submarine de-
velopment than the fact that the Unit
ed States, which was the most back
ward Of all the great nations in under
taking the development OF submarines.
now has the largest tonnage.
There is only one way in which the
u3e Of the submarine, the bombing
plane and poison gas can be suitably
controlled" and that is through the
agency of the League of Nations But
it must be a League of Nations in
which the United States and Germany
are full MEMBERS
Germany is ready to enter the
League whenever French objections
are withdrawn, but the United States
has excluded itself, and while it re-
mains excluded no international agree
ment to control the uses of the "nev
agencies Of warfare" viii he vcr.'
the paper on which it is written.
g neighbar the Herald complains
tetiy thaj America with her pas
sive acceptance of the submarine, is
-o~g. aead wrong" but the Herald
'as ITS whenever the name Of the
F-e434c q Nations is mentioned; yet
must Inv that nothing can be
io;se about the sumbarine which will
- Unless the principles
s the League covenant are applied
Il all these agencies were outlawed
0y the League and the League declar
q that the attempt Of any country
4 time of var to use these agencies
would be regarded as a belligerent
act toward all of them, the submarine
and tie Hombing plane and poison
gas would be finished as weapons
Nothing however can be done with
out concerted action, and the United
States is the greatest obstacle to con-
certed action.
The debate that is going on in
Washington is for all practical pur-
poses about nothing at all, for the
reason that it does not touch the real
issue. It is a matter of no great con-
sequence whether the United States
has 10000 tons of submarines or Co.
900. Germany had nowhere near co.
300 tons of submarines when the I'm
perial Government made a wreck Of
International law, and war will recog-
liZe no international law on the high
seas until the League of Nations is
able not only to say the last word
but to enforce its last word
Mr.. Harding and Mr.. Hughes and
our friend the Herald are not discuss
ing that aspect of the question, but
the logic IS memorable. The confer
ence will take no steps ito formulate
proposals by which in the interest O.
| humanity the use of the new agencies
of warfare may be suitably CONTROL
ed" No steps can be taken while
the United States remains outside the
League. and for the present Mr.. Hard
/ ing, in spite of his fine words, thinks
it is more important not to break with
the irreconcilable Republican Sena-
tors than to prevent the further use
OF submarines, bombing planes and
poison gas in warfare-World
The oil magnates are asking an inn