New Britain herald., 1924-09-13
IRISH FREE SKATER
 ENLIVENS ASSEMBLY
Desmond Fitzgerald Talks Be
 fore League of Nations
TVI7S BRITAIN AND FRANCE

note of We'll Received Speech--
 Talks on Process of Agreement Be.
 tween Nations.
 By The Associated Press. ... .. ".
 Geneva, Sept. 13. -- Security through arbitration was the keynote of a speech with which Desmond Fitzgerald. of the Irish Free State cabinet today enlivened the last day of thS general discussion held by the disarmament commission of the league of nations assembly on the various propositions before it. The slim, youthful, red-haired Irish for eign minister, enriching his remarks with dashes of typical Celtic spiel ness faced the British delegation smiling In friendly fashion across the narrow table as he proceeded. and when the speech was translated into French all the delegates joined in expressions of keen enjoyment.
 MT. Fitzgerald said he had a bit of diffidence in speaking before a commission of the league because his country was such a very young member of the world organization. Army Reduced
 "Last year, prior to my country's admission," he said. "I attended a session of the commission at which was requested to make a statement with regard to our armament. I pointed out that we had raised an army of some 50.000; that an army of such dimensions had been created for specific reason; that this rea- son had now ceased to exist and that therefore we were already begin ming to demobilize.. Since then we have reduced our army to something less than 2o,0Oo."
 MT. Fitzgerald said he presumed that in the proposed disarmament conference all the great powers, with the possible exception of Russia, would be represented.
 Considers Insecurity
 When it comes to doing business, |" he continued, T think shall get on better if we consider insecurity rather than security. Instead of speaking of security and arbitration we might speak of security by ar bitration.
 There has been great frankness here. I wonder If that frankness could be extended to a point when each government would say, We maintain such or such armament be- cause we feel our duty to our people demands it as a protection against such a danger from such govern ment.' Then arbitration could work out intelligently.
 "If we all stand for right and jus tice," he added, land we are all will ing to give up that which the con- science of the world thinks we have no right to hold, then we have noth- ing to fear. This would at least en- able us to judge each others sinceri- ty."
 The Irish minister's allusion to ''Our old friend, France. and our new friend, England" delivered in the face of the British delegation. pro- voked hearty applause. He was congratulated by the delegates of both these powers.
 At the conclusion of the discussion the commission appointed a sub committee to prepare a draft recon- cling and embodying the ideas de- veloped in the general discussion at the various sessions of the commis- sion for some project of security and sanctions as preparation for the proposed Geneva conference on dis armament.
 French Idea Works Out
 Frances idea that general world security can be attained only If each member of the League of Nations will contribute what it can in the way of sanction against an agressor state seems to be working out at Geneva,
 The countries, led by England, are coming forward one after another and expressing willingness to give of what they have to the cause of peace-England her fleet, France and the other nations possessing large land and air forces the weight of their military strength, and the smaller countries which are weak in armaments the full measure of their financial and economic assistance.
 Just how this general willingness to contribute to the sanctions can be whipped into a general protocol or convention is the problem now immediately before the league, as- sembly. One problem relating to compulsory arbitration is already partly solved in that a sub-commit- tee of jurists has decided that 1t is entirely reasonable for the powers to sign the compulsory arbitration claims of the world court of justice and at the same time make reserva- tions thereto.
 Loudon Opens Discussion
 pr. Loudon, the Dutch minister to France, opened todsy's discussion of the assembly disarmament commits sion, declaring the delegates must at any price avoid making war admis- sable after the league council had found itself unable to reach 6 unani- nous decision on a difference be- tween two members.
 He declared Holland did not ap- prove of regional agreements, but he said she could readily understand the French viewpoint on this question as well as on the proposed treaty of mutual assistance, which Holland equally disapproved. Enough sane. tions already existed under the league covenant, Dr. Loudon declar- ed, and his nation saw no need Of going further along that line.
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