The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1927-02-18
NEWS REVIEW OF
. CURRENT EVENTS
President Asks Powers to
Agree on Further Cut in
Naval Armament.
BY EDWARD W. PlcKARD

I'm INSTRUCTION from PreSl0eHC
" Coolidge, the American ambas-
sailors at London, Paris, Rome and
Tokyo presented last Thursday to the
governments of Great Britain, France,
Italy and Japan memorandum sug-
costing that they empower their dele
gates at the forthcoming meeting of
the preparatory commission for the
disarmament conference at Geneva to
negotiate and conclude at an early
date an agreement further limiting
naval armament, supplementing the
Washington treaty on that subject,
and covering the classes Of vessels not
covered by that treaty"
The President in special message
to congress explained the considera-
tions that moved him to take this ac-
ton, and included the text of the
note to the powers. In this he said
the American delegates at Geneva
would have "fuil powers to negotiate
definitely regarding measures for fur
Their naval limitation, and, If they are
able to reach an agreement with the
representatives OF the other sigma
tories of the Washington treaty, to
conclude a convention embodying such
agreement, in tentative or final form
as may be found practicable"
The American government and peo-
pie, the President said, "are convinced
that competitive armament constitutes
one, of the most dangerous contribut-
ing causes Of international suspicion
and discord, and is calculated event
ually to lead to war;"
Despite the hope of the United
States to complete the work of the
Washington treaty and extend limit
ing treaties to cover cruisers, destroy
ers and submarines, the message con-
tinued, 'far-reaching building pro-
grams have been laid down by certain
powers, and there has appeared in our
own country, as well as abroad, a SEN
timent urging naval construction on
the ground that such construction is
taking place elsewhere"
PRESIDENTIAL campaign politics
L and the third term problem came
out into the open last week, and prob
ably will stay there for some time to
come. Nicholas Murray Butler, presi-
dent of Columbia university, a wet
Republican and. for long potential
candidate, started things with an ad-
dress in New York in the course Of
which he asserted that in his judg-
ment Calvin Coolidge would refrain
from injecting the third term issue
into the campaign of 1928 and would
not be candidate to succeed himself.
He declared that other Republican
leaders throughout the country felt as
he did and that Mr.. Coolidge's COM
mon sense would keep him from seek
ing a denomination. Doctor Buffers
speech dealt with issues he believes
will have to be met in 1928 and told
the Republicans that the party would
face the fight of its life and that VIC
tory would go to that party which
stood sQuarely on three issues-pro-
hibition, farm relief and foreign
policy.
The lid thus being taken off, Beck
Of Wisconsin, insurgent Republican,
introduced resolution in the house,
declaring it to be "the sense" of that
body that congress is opposed to a
third presidential term. Speaker
Nicholas Longworth, who is supposed
to have presidential ambitions, in an
address before the women's patriotic
conference on national defense in
Washington, caustically criticized the
administrations economy program, es-
peciallyt as it affected the navy.
1.-THE leading argument of those in
the house who opposed any appropr!-
alton for the cruisers was that another
limitation of armament conference
might be held in the comparatively
near future, and that, under the cir
cumstances, we should proceed with
no new actual building program" said
Mr.. Longworth. "To my mind, that
argument refutes itself. l have not