Evening star., 1923-04-03
Only League C@, End Suspicion
And Fear of Nations, Cecil Says
British Statesman Declares america Can.
not Keep Out of European affairs, in
First Speech IL, This Country.
By The Associated Press.

By The Associated Press.
NEW YORK. April 3.-Lord Robert
Cecil, English statesman and pro-
tagonist of the league of nations, in
his first formal address in America
told 1000 persons at a dinner of the
Foreign Policy Association in the
Hotel Astor last night that America
could not afford TO stay out of the
league. The league has already done
merttorlous work and will continue
to do so, he said.
America should ask herself, he said.
If she can afford to stand aloof from
the scheme that promises more than
any other to prevent the outbreak Of
war
Other outstanding points in his ad-
dress were:
International fear and suspicion are
the basic evils responsible for the
madness of war.
In their places must be substituted
the force of persuasion and public
opinion.
Disarmament cannot come until it
is general and that it cannot he gen.
eral until nations agree to help their
neighborS II they are attacked.
No nation can build Chinese wall
other nations OF the world
The league Of nations has been ac-
cepted by titty-tWo nations as the
best means OF substituting persua :
SION for armed force.
Fear and suspicion twin demons
which have possessed the world. and
which can be exercised only by some
form of an association of nations. are
the forces that stand between France
and Germany In the settlement of
i,A m lt.af I ions 10
stand in the way of settlement OF
every other international question.
Lord Robert Cecil declared.
Addressing his first American au-
essential for world safety to turn
the minds of nations from force as
the only remedy"
Take the question Of reparations,
he said. What is ii that makes that
question SO intractable? 1t is that
though the French are anxious for
the Germans TO pay. they are also
anxious lest If they are allowed to
get on their feet sufficiently to pay
they will become again a danger to
The security of France.
No Attack on France.
DO not think l am attacking the
French on that account. No one who
has read the history of these Coun-
tries even Cursorily will say the fears
OF France are nreasonable-or. for
the matter OF that. the fears of Ger
There is a long history behind the
PREPARATIONS question of the present
day. And if we arc to bring some
remedy TO this state OF things, the
first thing we have to do Is to allay
International fear and suspicion. We
have to get a new spirit among the
nations OF the world. We have got
to turn their minds from force as
the only remedy. We have got to
teach them that persuasion, public
opinion, are Of far greater potency
than mere physical conpulsion."
Warning that the next war. if one
came. would be far more terrible, be-
cause of new scientific discoveries.
than the world war. and that it was
not inconce .vable that American cities
might be laid waste and their popu-
lations destroyed by airmen flying
from over the sea. Lord Robert de-
clared that crisis in world his
tory had been reached-that nations
must learn or perish"
The recent Washington agreement
for the limitation of naval armament
was but d first step in the only di-
rection that can save the present civ
ilization from going the way of the
civilizations of Egypt, Greece and