The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1925-03-26
GIJARAN I !
Of PEACE
SOUGHT
william Hard Reveals Some
Secret History Showing
Stake in Game
Nv WILLIAM HARD.

The essential tnlng tnat MAKES
che calling of new successful
arms limitation conference diff
cult is the question of guar
antees."
The French government, it is
believed in Washington, is still
highly indisposed to consent to
any further limitation upon its
navy or to any limitation whatso-
ever upon its army unless it gets
some sort of guarantee" of Sc
curly for its eastern frontier
against Germany.
In the Washington Arms Con-
ference, in order to get the naval
limitation treaty between the
United States, Great Britain,
Japan, France and Italy, it was
necessary to sign the four-power
treaty between France, japan,
Great Britain and the United
States, by which each Of the four
signatory powers bound itself to
consult with the other three in
case of any aggression in the
Pacific.
q. S. Sacrifices Big.
In the Washington Arms Confer
ence. further. in order to get the
naval limitation treaty, Il was neces-
eary for the United States to make
large naval sacrifices" in the way
of ssscrapping' certain battlesl1ips
and certain battIeship- building plans
which would have given II the
SUPREMACY of the world in the heavy
ships called capital ships.
It is noted here in Washington
that the United States is no longer
I'm q position to make any "sacri-
fees in its navy or in its army in
order to persuade other countries
TO make sacrifices.
Our army is already so small that
the question of still further re-
difference to other countries.
In our navy, since the ships
called capital ships are already
limited. the main question remain
ing has to do with the ships called
'sauxiliary" ships; and in these
AUXILIARY" ships we are already.
on the whole. under our naval limi-
fations treaty ratio.
In other words, the United States
today has no physical army or navy
sacrifices or ''compensations"
which it can offer to other countries
IA order to induce them to take fur
Their steps toward further reductions
Of ornaments.
The Crucial Question.
The question then becomes:
Are there any other ''compensa-
tons" which the United States can
offer?
II Is thereupon suggested that
the United States might scale down
the debts which are owed to It by,
for instance, France and Italy. It
Is admitted, however, that in the
present mood of Congress and Of
the Debt Funding Commission, this
suggestion Is totally academic.
Neither Congress nor the Debt
Funding Commission has the slight
est idea Of scaling down the debts
owed to us from abroad.
The State Department then Is
thrown back upon the following
speculation:
Would the United States, in re-
turn for a French reduction of ar
maments. agree to consult" with
France regarding any threatened
aggression upon France in Europe?
Thus the question Of the Iimita-
ton of ornaments leads us direct
" back to the question of American
participation in European political
and military affairs.
At that point a most remarkable
and generally unpublished-piece
Of recent American diplomatic his
tory Is recollected.
Lodge Urged Guaranty.
On the very best authority it IS
asserted that when President VII
son returned from Europe with the
treaty of Versailles containing the
League of Nations and also with
the proposed treaty by which the
United States and Great Britain
would agree to protect France
against further aggression by Ger
many, Senator Lodge of Massachu-
sets did his best to try to get
President Wilson TO send that Sec
ond treaty to the Senate first.
1T will be passed" Senator Lodge
IL reported TO have said, land 1t
will settle French fears"
In other words, Senator Lodge
believed that the United States
Senate at that moment was willing
to guarantee" France. President