Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1928-07-29

clare, is strongly against heavy arma-
ment and most nations would be
onl too eager TO swing the axe on
defense expenditures. once the could
feel secure.
In other words, the opinion is
that limitation, or reduction Of arma-
ments, will logically and inevitably
spring from the desires Of the pub
lie in the various countries. but that
ii can never be forced on the world
public as a whole by a collective OF
international agreement is called a
delusion.
The hesitancy with which the con-
gress OF the United States approves
what Washington has styled a moder-
ate novel building program is re
marked upon here as evidence that
national public opinion, expressed
through national legislators, will be
slow to counsel any big construction
Of ornaments in time Of peace. The
plan of France 10 reduce its service
OF army conscription from eighteen
months to one year for all recruits
is cited as another straw which indi-
Gates that he force of ornaments
is expanded. or reduced, in proper
ton to the feeling Of national Sc
curity.
And the position Of Mussolini that
Italy. while willing to cut her arma-
ments 20 as low a point as n other
nation. yet must maintain the right
TO have as large an army or fleet
as any other nation in Europe, IS
being seized upon to prove the cor
rectness Of the theory that a collect
i've disarmament agreement is a de-
fusion. On paper. in a formal. inter
national treaty. say observers here,
Mussolini would doubtless Insis:
upon the right TO build as large an
army and navy as France. yet in
point Of fact, the Italian fighting
force is far inferior to that OF
France.
Incidentally. Geneva opinion fears
the effect Of the demand OF Soviet
Russia for complete disarmament.
II is being argued here that as total
disarmament seems out Of the ques-
ton as a practical measure. Soviet
insistence on this at future meet
ings OF the disarmament commission
ca only retard concrete results. as
nations will secretly reject the Soviet
plan, wen il openly they only TOP
and spar with il.
Finally. the advocates of the theory
that disarmament should be allowed
to settle itself by spontaneous action
from individual states, point to the
immense influence of the American
outlawry of war pact. There is 7
growing tendency to regard the Kel-
logg multilateral agreement as the
biggest move for peace in wears, and
TO compare il in Importance TO the
creation Of the League Of Nations
and TO the Locarno pact which
modelled the machinery for perma'
nent peace on the Rhine.
II is believed that the moral eff.
feet Of the Kellogg pact will be wide
spread and profound on the peoples
OF the world. increasing their sense
Of security and their conviction tina:
the risk Of war has. at the least
been considerably reduced. No more
war-no more weapons, is the cryp.
tic slogan which echoes and re.
echoes. And if this be true, say the
adyersaries OF a collective disarma-
ment treaty, then nations will grad.
ually disarm Of their own will.
But that does not imply that fur.
Their attempts will be abandoned
There are people here convinced that
another meeting of the preparatory
disarmament commission is a GER
tainty. and that public opinion ex-
pressed through the League assembly
will never permit the League to drop
disarmament.