Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-02-21
Where i. S. Will Have to Draw the Line
In Discussing Limitation of Armaments

or Wherever the preliminary conference ulti
mateiy Is held. before the conference proper as
sembes.
There Is yet no absolute assurance when the
preliminary conference will be held. Events in
Europe already have postponed it from the
middle of February 1t is now thought 1t may be
held by the middle of May. But the date is not
likely to be settled until after the meeting of
the League of Nations council in March.
In any event. the time of meeting of the con-
ference proper, 1t Is believed in we'll informed
quarters here, will not be before the Fall of
l9Zi. IN such case, actual agreements regard
ing limitation of ornaments may not result I'M
til 1929, or even later. Arms limitation. it APP
pears Is not to be a matter of the immediate fu-
ture. This may not be pleasing to ardent advo
Gates of arms limitation. but great lasting
achievement is accomplished overnight. The
state Department is looking forward to the ar
rival of Hugh s. Gibson. American Minister
to Switzerland. who is coming here with the
latest information regarding the conference
plans and to consult with Secretary kellogg
and other officials Of The Government regard
ing it,
Rightly or wrongly, there has been susp
cion in some quarters i'll this country that the
projected arms conference has not as its main
object the limitation Of ornaments Rather. ii
has been feared that the gathering is 10 deal
with political and economic problems with
the nations about the board seeking their owl
particular advantage. In such conference
should 1t materialiZe. the United States has
proper place. The United States. 1t has again
and again been made clear will welcome hon
est efforts at reduction of ornaments. but will
not be drawn into security pacts" with other
nations nor will it enter upon a discussion of
'lts economic problems with other nations. The
FEELING Is strong that this country, in such
matters. would stand only to lose at inter
national conference.
y
In the European mind security and security
pacts seem to be ineXtriCaby entwned with
limitation of ornaments. y mere agreement
to limit ornaments without security paCts has
made no appeal to many of the nations At the
Washington conference on limitation of arma-
ments it soon became clear that there could
be limitation land =
Curity."
But if the disarmament is TO be proportionate
TO security then the security must extend to
the whole world and not to only a nation or
group of nations ON the other ha nd regional
security does offer hope of regional dsarma-
ment and presents a practical means for li,t,i-
tatton OF ornaments. The more general such
security, the greater and more general the lini-
tation of ornaments.
A group of American republics however has
tackled the problem OF arms limitation with
out first seeking the establishment of security
pacts. These the Central American coun.
tries, and all have ratified the arms Limitation
agreement except Honduras. The conference.
which was held here, has proved salutarv in
many respects, it is said.
Whether II would be possible ever to hold a
conference which deals alone with lmta ton of
ornaments and ignores completely all pol!ti-
cal and economic questions is problemat teal
Even at the Washington conference in 1922
the nations attending were called upon TO con.
slider other problems. the problems of the Pa
Cific Ocean. And il is we'll understood that had
these problems not been considered there could
have been no naval imitation treaty such as
exists
The United States was interested at that
time partiCuary in the preserva ton and extern
sion of the open door policy in the Far East
policy which has always been distinctly Ameri
can and apart from the policy of special privilege
with which the old world nations have occupied
themselves for centuries. The United States was
interested also in the abolition of the ANGLICAN.
anese alliance, alliance that might have
some day arisen to plague this country par
t"ularly in its dealings with the Far East At
he Washington conference provision was made
tor the elimination of the Anglo ia pa nese al
lance. and also the open door policy was
formally recognized by the nations taking part
1t may he said. however, that no security,