The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-10-11
Unthinkable

Ramsay Macdonald recently answered a boys
request for the secret of by saying that life
is like golf: Don't press"
Pressing In golf, he explained. results from strain
ing and overanxiety; it causes slices, hooks and
other disasters.
"In new and reinforced sense, the two govern
ments declare that war between them is I'M
thinkable" That is the formal joint statement OF
President Hoover and Premier Macdonald
AS a statement of aspiration, that is laudaole
As a statement of fact it is untrue.
Doubtless these great peace leaders intended their
long declaration of Anglo American agreement to be
taken in an inspirational sense. But the literal
minded public is apt to get early tomorrow morn
ing to meet the millennium.
That would he all right-except for the reaction
which follows. The public gets sore; it decides to
stay off miennius forever it goes in for nationalism
and militarism in big way.
So much of this sort Of thing has happened since
the World war that statesmen should learn not to
overseu their products.
The war going to make the world safe Tor
democracy. Naturally the people were bitter when
it didn't. Every one then agreed that new tack
was necessary They made the greatest Of discoveries
that the nations must organize for peace.
Hence the League Of Nations. That presented
to the people as perfect institution. When Amer
leans discovered that it was not perfect they got
mad they haven't got over it yet-unfortunately.
Then it was the washington arms treaty. The
speeches of Secretary Hughes and Lord Balfour &C
claiming an end of naval rivalry were believed by the
people When the exaggeraton was discovered, the
public went to the other extreme. And largely be-
cause of that reaction the country for five wal
lowed in anti-British and big navy propaganda.
Finally came the Kellogg treaty outawing war.
r,a+ eean,ed LARGO order and rather sudden But the
public took the sweeping statements of that treaty
literally Later its jokers began to appear 1t turned
out that the treaty had only moral" value and was
not legally binding.
1t turned out that so-caned defensive was
recognized, with each nation its own judge-in other
words the treaty would not have prevented the World
war or any other war in modern history.
Soon after the treaty was ratified Mr. kellogg and
the President we're proclaming the truth that lot
of other things such disarmament and arbitration
treaties necessary to make the treaty effective
And the people were asking how the Kellogg treaty
could be guarantee of peace minute and revealed
the next as only Understanding words.
1t wasn't that the people themselves had expected
too much of the Kellogg treaty or the Washington
naval agreement or the league They had been led to
expect too much by well-meaning though overanxouS
statesmen.
That applies to the present negotiations. Mr..
Hoover In all honesty made the mistake in the first
place of promising cruiser reduction instead OF mere
limitation and is going to get hckback when the
public discovers that present tonnage must go up
instead Of down under the proposed agreement.
In the midst of the Hoover Macdonald converse
tons It officially was indicated that all friction had
been removed in all disputes. Why exaggerate? There
is 50 much friction over the war debts that the subject
could not even be mentioned the Ofhcias atements.