Evening star., 1928-04-10
Brands Counter-Proposal.

The recent BRAND reply to Secretary
Kellogg in the correspondence relative
to the war outlawry treaty, and yester-
days announcement that the general
| proposal is now to be submitted TO the
other world powers. marks a long hop,
wide skip and broad jump forward
in these negotiations
Pending announcement from the State
Department of its own reaction to the
position taken in the French note, there
is this to be said:
The premier of France has abandoned
his contention that general war outlaw
~. as contrasted with aggressive" war
outlawry, is impossible under the League
and Locarno engagements. He now
takes the position that Secretary KEEL
Iogg's desired multilateral treaty is prac-
tical and desirable-provided 1t be made
worldwide in scope before becoming
effective. 1t is with this volt-face that
Secretary Kellogg must now deal. for
with the secondary French reservations
to the proposed engagement there can
be no quarrel.
The original American program called
for a hexagonal treaty to be signed by
France, England, Italy, Japan, Germany
and the United States, with the rest Of
the world invited to join in afterward.
Brands counter-suggestion is that the
six world powers sign, and then the
others Cor the others with agreed upon
exceptions) before any nation is bound.
The French premier Is practical. He
has no idea OF permitting the following
hypothetical contingency to arrive: A
couple of Balkan states, outside the
proposed six-power treaty, go to war.
Germany or Italy or another OF the
Kellogg treaty signatories, without vio-
lating her engagement not to make war
on q fellow signatory, jumps in on
the most advantageous side. France
sees her interests jeopardized, but can
not, under the six-power pact, play the
part she would otherwise play. And
BRAND, In politely firm terms, says,
Nothing doing"
Few viii blame him. There is no
reason why the Kellogg program should
not be extended before going into effect.
II is, in the final analysis, essential
that war be formally abandoned by all
as an instrument of international pol
icy IL its effective outlawry Is In the
end TO be achieved. There Is nothing
70 be lost and much to be gained
through a prompt acquiescence In the
BRAND suggestion.
It is incredible that the significance
of these conversations should not be
generally recognized here and through
out the world. Nothing Of their ap-
proximate Importance has transpired in
the history of international negotia-
tions. For the first time IN all time 1t
is proposed that the civilized nations
OF the world shall concert with each
other to brand the practice Of war for
any cause whatsoever, save in self-de-
fense against an outlaw nation, as an
unspeakable crime against civilized man
kind.
That pronouncement, Of itself. can
never hope TO cure the evil which is
modern war. But it can, If given q
fair start, II given two nations which
viii abide by 1t when occasion shall
arise, build that popular reaction In
Its favor against which no government
can hope to carry its people into war
That Is all these preliminaries are
worth. But. being worth that. they
are worth the heartfelt, prayerfui sup
port of every man or woman VINO
dreams OF progress rather than oblit-
GRAFTON for the world.