Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-03-18
Making America the Goat.

The United States is to be made the
goat" for the failure of the League
of Nations arms conference If France,
Italy and the nations allied with them
have their way. Declining to accede
to the common sense proposal Of Presi-
dent Coolidge that naval limitation be
undertaken Immediately and without
undue reference to land and air
strength. France and Italy continue
to persist in their attempts to include
In any arms agreement land, sea and
air forces. industrial development, geo
graphical and climatic conditions.
The world, however. will be slow to
believe that the United States is guilty
of scuttling the arms conference Of
the League of Nations, or any other.
The world will not forget Immediately
the position taken by this country
since the close of the war on arms
limitation, nor the Washington Con.
ference, where the United States gave
concrete evidence of its generosity
The simultaneous publication in
Paris Of the Presidents second invita-.
ton to the French government to be
represented at the coming naval con-
ference and of the American objec'
tions to recommendations of the
League commission, which would take
into consideration the potential
strength, in every particular, of the
nations entering into an arms limita-
ton agreement. is an indication OF
what may be anticipated. Both France
and Italy are expected to refuse the
Presidents second invitation, as they
did his first. But to soften the opinion
of the world, the objections of the
United States to the impractical rec
concentrations of the League commits
sion are given wide publicity abroad.
There is nothing new in the Ameri.
can objections to the recommendations
Of the League commission. From the
inception of the preparatory confer
ence on arms limitation in Geneva
last year, under the auspices of the
League of Nations, the attitude Of the
United States has been clear. The
underlying theme of the commissions
plan Is suspicion. 1t would set up
kind of international spy system to
see that all of the nations lived up to
the terms of an arms limitation treaty.
and would authorize permanent or
ganization at Geneva to investigate
the complaints of any nation that an
other nation was not observing the
treaty. The plan would take into con-
sideration not the armed forces alone,
but the entire population, the general
resources, the geographical location.
the weather conditions. 1t would seek
to limit the industrial operations of
the nations in many respects.
The nations which put forward such
a plan may well be suspected of
hypocrisy; with having no real desire
to reach an arms agreement. 1t is
scarcely less than an insult to the in
telngence. Certainly IL idchS OIL GIG
ments of common sense. 1t might as
well have proposed the limitation of
male babies to be born.
The United States, in it's position
has had the support of Great Britain
and Japan. 1t is to be hoped that the
three conference of naval limita'
ton. to which assent has been given
by those nations, will proceed with
success. even though France and Italy
do not take part. European efforts to
discredit the American attitude on
arms limitation doubtless will con
tinue. but they will not succeed In
clouding the real issue.