The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1926-01-05

Washington, Jan. 5.--[P)-Prcsi
dent Coolidge requested Congress to
day to appropriate $4,000 to cove
the expense of participation by tn
United States in the league Of ma
tons preliminary disarmament dis
cussions.
participation in the work Of tn,
preparatory commission" the presi
dent said in special message, "in
wolves no commitments with respcc
to attendance upon any future con
ference or conferences, on reduc
tion and Limitation of ornaments;
and the attitude of this government,
in that regard cannot be defined II
advance of the calling of such meet.
ings." He added that whether the
conditions and circumstances will
prove such as to make it desirable
for the United States to attend any
conference or conferences which may
eventually take place as result
of the labors of the prepare
tory commission or otherwise is a
question which need not now be con-
sidcred."
ut is my Judgment" he said,
shat so far as this preliminary in
duiry is concerned we ought to give
our aid and cooperation to the full
est extent, consistent with the poll
icics which we have adopted"
The Presidents Message
The message follows:
I'm the message which had oc-
casion recently to submit to you, /
called attention to the agreement
recently entered into by a number
of European governments under
which guarantees Of peace were pro-
vided and I took occasion to point
out that the natural corrollary to
these treaties should be further in.
tcrnational agreements for the linn.
itations of ornaments, a work that
was so successfully begun at the
Washington conference.
"The government of the United
States has now been invited by the
council of the league of nations to
send representatives to sit upon
preparatory commission for the dis
armament confereyce, being COM
mission to prepare for a conference
on the reduction and Limitation Of
ornaments which has been set up
by the council and which is to meet
in Geneva, Switzerland" in FEBRUARY,
1926. The purpose Of this commits
sion, it is stated, is to make prep
arations for a conference for dis
armament which it is the announced
purpose of the council to call at an
early date. :.
Purposes of the Meeting
1T is proposed that the delibcra-
tiOns of the commission shall be d.
rcctcd to such matters as the sew
eral. factors upon which the power
of country in time of war depends;
whether Limitation of the ultimate
war strength of country is prac-;
tical or whether. disarmament should
be confined to the peace strength
alpnc; the relative advantages and
disadvantages of each of the various
forms which reduction or Limitation
of armament may take in the case Of
land, sea and air forces: the stand
ard of measurement of the arma.
nients of one country against the
armament of another; the posi-
bility of ascertaining whether the
armed force of country is organ
lied in a spirit of aggression or for
purely defensive purposes; the con-
sideration of the principles upon
which scale of armament for va
rious countries can be. drawn up and.
the factors which enter into the es-
tablishment Of those principles, such
as communications, resources, geo.
graphical situation. population, the