The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1925-05-15
NEWS REVIEW OF
CURRENT EVENTS
France Tells Arms Traffic
Conference She Must Have
Security Pact.
BY EDWARD w. PIcKARD

BY EDWARD w. PIckARD
TRANCE Is overlooking no oppor-
! 4 tpnityAto assure, the world that she
cannot be expected to adhere to any
international peace and disarmament
agreements until she receives guaran-
tee of the security of her boundaries
and those of Poland and the nations
Of the little entente. She continues
to distrust Germany and insists that
until the other great powers promise
protection for her and her allies, she
must remain fully armed and must
keep on manufacturing armament for
herself and for the smaller nations
that look to her for their safety from
German aggression.
Paul Boncour, powerful Socialist
party leader, said all this and more
very frankly to the International con-
ference on the. control Of arms traffic
in Geneva, giving warning that 1t was
doomed to failure unless the demands
of France were needed. He threatened
his colleagues with another world war
IL they persisted in overlooking this
security problem, and said France in
tended to revive the discredited Cen
eva protocol at the September meet
ing Of the League of Nations assem-
bly,; but he offered to discuss any
adequate substitute for that pact that
might be offered.
AS tor q convention for the control
1Aa soil
this would be worthless and unjust
unless it were confirmed Immediately
by convention regulating private
production, because production is the
originating point and traffic is merely
the result" This is contrary to the
view expressed by Congressman Theo-
dore e. Burton, head of the, American
delegation, who insists foreign ship
ments of munitions, not the private
manufacture, is the important thing.
Mr.. Burton on Thursday offered a
scheme dealing with the traffic in pol
sonous gases.
Both Brazil and Uruguay advocate
a rule under the proposed convention
that no nation may sell arms to a
rebel party until a half of the nations
( signing the treaty, including a certain
number of the great powers, recognize
the government Of a revolutionary
party. This is opposed by the Amer
lean delegation because In most rev.
olutions in the western hemisphere
the hands of the United States would
be tied. while awaiting the recogni-
ton Of a revolutionary party by nu-
merous European powers. This is
looked on as serious menace to the
Monroe doctrine.
Carton de Wharf of Belgium was
elected president of the conference.
0NE of the most significant events
~ of the week was the first public
address Of Ambassador Houghton in
London. Undoubtedly speaking for
President Coolidge's administration,
he tactfully but pointedly admonished
the nations of Europe that unless they
abandoned warlike ambitions and de-
structive methods and policies the
American people would cease to adm
European reconstruction. He did not
name any nation, but it was generally
accepted that his warning was direct
ed especially at France, and every
where except In France the speech
was warmly commended.
Telling his hearers that Americans
looked ON the aftermath of the war
In Europe -sympathetically and with
an intense desire to help. Mr.. sHough-
ton continued:
But we. too. are practical people.
When we lent our savings to make it
possible for the peoples of central Eu-
rope to get work it was because we
knew that only in this way could Eu-
rope as a whole be made to function
economically.s> When we lent of our
savings to rebuild markets that had
been destroyed. it was because We
knew that in no other way could they
be enjoyed again.
''That was necessary beginning. 1t
was common sense. If we went AT the
job with certain moral earnestness,
let that go to our credit. 1t is natural
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