Evening star., 1927-05-07
Hughes Disarmament Speech
Causes Stock-Taking Debate

A thoughtful, stock.taking discus
sion Of disarmament prospects has
followed the address made recently
by Charles Evans Hughes before the
American Society of International
Law. Of which he is president. The
former Secretary of State set forth
the theory of advancement with an
objective Of purely defensive arma.
ment and declared the importance
Of the will to maintain international
tranquility as necessary element
of progress.
Mr.. Hughes is credited by the New
York World independent Democratic)
with "a survey Of the present situa-
ton, which is the most competent
and brilliant utterance made on the
subject by any American statesman
since Mr.. Hughes left the State De-
partment." The World feels that "Mr.
Hughes could not have chosen better
moment for his address. for. with the
adjournment of the Geneva discus
sionS without spectacular results, it
would be very easy to drop the sub
ject in q mood between cynicism and
boredom. 1t is in such times
that resolute leadership is most i'm
portant, for 1t Is only by an absolute
determination not to lose patience.
not to be bored, not to be defeated
by the difficulties, that mankind can
hope to make peace more secure"
The Hughes doctrine is described
by the Philadelphia Public Ledger Gn-
dependenO as "sane international poll
AZ e. Iox @H {ySfn
national law in the due course or
time" and that paper explains: Poll
tics and diplomacy can be employed
by the great few to eliminate provoca-
tions among themselves and set an
example to the rest of the world. III
this is done in a spirit of reasonable
ness the problem of ornaments can
be solved. Likewise. international law
will develop and expand-though more
slowly--as confidence grows among
the great powers"
Asserting that "the attitude of Mr..
Hughes, while unflinching in the face
Of facts, is not the attitude OF de-
spair," and quoting his statement that
"every single step that can be taken
would have an important psycholog-
ical effect as we'll as indirect material
consequences" the Spokane Spokes-
man.Review independent Republican,
saws: ITO that end the American
people and their Government at
Washington are trying to do their
part"
"Mr. Hughes did not permit him.
self to be cast down by the failures
which disarmament has encountered,
and which 1t will certainly encounter
repeatedly in the future before 1t can
be accomplished, observes the Madi-
pendent). He set forth with some
clarity, and without the fanaticism of
the theorizing pacifist, an objective
that he believes is not impossible-a
proposal for purely defensive arma-
ments, as opposed to the militarist's
pet sophistry that the best defense is
attack, and therefore the requirement
for national defense Is an armament
capable of aggressive warfare"
"If lessening of the public burden of
armament can be secured only by hard
work, then hard work will have to be
done. That appears to be the meat OF
Mr.. Hughes conclusion" says the
Manchester Union independent Re-
publican), which also remarks: "Mr.
Hughes offers no counsels of despair.
Indeed, ne HiluS III lHe ooSldSieo az
the greater reason for determined
seeking of the objective" The Hart.
ford Times Independent Democratic)
feels that to work for agreements for
limitation of armaments and restric-
tion of cruel methods of conducting
war means the spread of sentiment in
favor of the restrictions which they
represent and is a task from which
practical men need not refrain, since
it is quite apparent that no agree
ment will be adopted by any consid-
erable number OF nations which does
not express their intentions and hopes
for the future"
X X
Reference in the Chicago Tribune
independent Republican, to the ad-
dress as somewhat obituary remarks
on recent efforts at. limiting armament