The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1927-07-22
DISARMAMENT AT GENEVA
Friends Peace Committee

Friends Peace Committee
Reduction of arament is a difficult
problem. That is all that is proved
by the present deadlock" in the con-
ference on naval limitation now
going on at Geneva.
International conferences almost
always reach stage at which per-
manent disagreement seems newt
able. This is especially likely to
happen in important conferences.
Therefore the present disagreement
between the representatives of Eng
land and the United States should
land and United States should not
cause too much premature gloom.
The advantage of conference is
that, when the delegates are sincere,
there is more opportunity to over
come the little difficulties that loom
so large in correspondence, and to
reach agreement based on real I'M
Outstanding of the point of view OF
the other side.
President Coolidge invited Eng
land and Japan to send delegates to
Geneva to discuss with representa-
tives of the United States the limita-
ton of naval ornaments. The con-
ference has been at work since June
20. Its chairman is Hugh S. Glib
son, chief American delegate, newly
appointed Ambassador to Belgium.
The chief British delegates are w.
c. Bridgeman, First Lord of the Ad-
miralty, the British equivalent OF
Cecil of Chelwood. The latter, bet
ter known to Americans as Lord
Robert Cecil, has been a valiant la
borer for disarmament since the end
of the World War. The Japanese
representatives are led by Viscount
Ishii, retiring Ambassador to France,
and Admiral Baron Saito, the grand
old man of Japan"
Two chief aims are before the con-
ference. The first is to agree to
limit the navies of the three nations
in such way as to get rid of all
danger of competition in battleship
construction. Competition in mill
tary preparations is expensive and
arouses the fear and suspicion which
make war more likely. The second
object of the conference is to reduce
expenditures for navies. Any tax
payer can see the advantage of this.
The disagreement between Eng
land and the United States is the re.
suit partly of the different situations
of the two countries, and partly of
the efforts of the "big navy" group
in each nation. England has
small crowded homeland, dependent
for it's existence on the uninterrupt-
ed overseas trade which brings in
the necessary food and carries away
the manufactured goods which Eng.
land produces. Therefore English
naval experts consider that theil
country needs a large number OF
cruisers, to protect the long sea-
lanes over which the merchant fleets
must travel. The United States, on
the other hand, is more nearly self
supporting; but it's few outlying
possessions are far apart, while Eng
land has outposts fairly close to-
gether all over the globe.
American naval experts advocate
a comparatively small number of
$1,000 ton cruisers, carrying inch
guns, while the British desire
much larger number of smaller YES
sells. The British have proposed
limiting cruisers to $500 tons, with
no guns larger than & inch bore,
The clash between these two views is
the basis for the apparent deadlock
at Geneva.
In spite of the disagreement, it
is unlikely that the Conference will
fail. The experts may differ about
technical points, but the people of
the nations involved want peace, and
want to promote it. And they re-
member the remark OF the British
general of wide experience in the
World War. Il went into the Brit
ish Army believing that If you want
peace you must prepare for war.
know now that If you prepare for
war You will get war;