Evening star., 1926-02-14
EUROPE SHOWS GOODNESS
TOWARD ARMS PARLEY
SimOnds Finds No Issue on Disarmament
Abroad and Sees No Hope of
Great Achievement.

coming could not prevent postpone
ment, because no one can see what
could be done, or what on earth to
do it with. If investigation discloses
that we are not willing to make con
siderable contributions, there will bs
new formal postponements, or the
conference will turn out TO be greatly
protracted and multiplicity Of oh
stacles in the way of principles will
turn up.
No Disarmament Issue.
In proportion as there is belief
that we are now ready to come for
ward and take responsibilities and
assume commitments. our attendance
will be taken seriously, and the con
ference may assume a new aspect. On
the other hand. if all we mean Ia
do is TO join in academic discussion.
disclose our approval of the various
steps toward reducing European
armies, Europe will be speedily dis
illusioned, and the whole proposition
will collapse, because without US il
can have no reality in the present
circumstances.
kurope Is not concerned with dis
armament; there is no armament
issue. The nations which would have
to agree are at the moment miles
apart. No one feels the issue so
pressing as to make it worth while
to risk actual disputes and diver
gencies TO arrive at results which
have no present Importance.
The League of Nations and friends
of the league in Europe are perceiving
how large a gain in prestige for 1t
would be d successful conference, how
much American presence would count.
and they will make desperate efforts
now to force the conference, and did
actually endeavor to prevent its post
ponement. But unless the league
people can prove our presence will
serve the purposes of the great pow
erS concerned. unless they can prove
either that we are coming back re
solved TO participate in Europe, TO
assume European responsibilities. so
that we can be gently, step by step,
led TO that position, this will MOI
count.
If Mr.. Coolidge and his administra-
ton can get themselves politically so
involved that they will be in the
position OF Wilson. who had TO 'leaye
the League of Nations for home poiit-
ical reasons and, therefore, had to
make European concessions and as
sumo European commitments, then
there is a. basis for just the sort of
political maneuver which Europe un-
derstandS.
Hard TO Believe.
But Europeans-the British in par
ticular-feel pretty shy about induls
ing in calculations based upon Ameri-
can positive action. They find 1t hard
to believe after the Lea que of Nations
experience that it is safe to reckon
on Americas continuing force, or
upon any pledges which have Senate g
T-IaY.afHrn r.
| hesitation in taking the present Wash
ington gesture very seriously. or do
ing much to promote our participa-
ton.
When we announced that we would
come, German entrance into the lea que
was not certain; it was patent that
if the conference was held before Ger
many entered, the eXigencies of Ger
man internal politics would compel
the German representatives at the
conference to raise all sorts of con-
troversial questions. including insist
ence that the treaty of Versailles
bound all countries, France in particrr-
lar. to diSarm down to the Germa II
level-thiS meant pandemonium at
once
Also there existed not the smallest
Semblance of a program or under
| standing between the several coun-
| tries as TO what was to be done. The
whole affair had been up to that point
! little more than an academic discussion.
For these two reasons London in par
| ticular welcomed the postponement it
| did not directly ask for. Now an effort
/ will be made to arrive al a program.
which means in reality an agreement
| between France and Britain in ad-
| vance. But what is the maximum
possibility is held here to be the for
mutation of a, few principles to be
| adopted by the conference to become
| the basis of a later conference next
| Autumn or a year hence.
| View on Naval Conference.
That there will be any great diver.
| gence between France and Britain
| even that Germany will cause trouble
| is not really believed in informed cir,
| cles here. We are, at least, as likely
to find Europe solidIy agreed as
broken up into factions. But speaking
broadly with the official world in mind
| the fact is that neither Britain nor
(: the rest of Europe takes the arma
ment question very seriously or sees
much hope for present achievement by
| the conference route. The limitation
of armaments is coming, and will con
| tinue to come as a consequence OF
| economic pressure and psychological
improvement. To force the pace, tG
seek to accomplish much by solemn
covenant, seems not only futile, but
possibly a bit dangerous.
AS for an American naval confer
ence, following the Geneva arms dis
cussion, that is from the London point
of view well nigh impossible, because
of the frank realization that many
continental countries will not come
The fear lest America might seek to
press such a conference may well ado
a new reason for postponing or pro
tracing the proposed preliminary con
ference In a word, Europe is not
thinking of an arms conference in any
fashion comparable with the United
States. That is the long and the short