Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-05

Never before have the supreme repre-
sentatives of Great Britain and the
United States met In personal confer
ence upon American soil, such as the
present meeting Of Prime Minister j.
Ramsay Macdonald and President
Hoover in intimate and informal con-
sultation within the environment Of the
Presidents camp. -
nificance Of the meeting is far-reaching.
Removed from the public, amid the
forest and the ripping Of falling waters,
the problems fundamental to the peace
of the two greatest nations In the world
and therefore the peace of the world
are being discussed by two men, face
to face, whose conclusions and whose
sincerity and good will are OF paramount
importance.
The arrival of Prime Minister Mac
Donald has been celebrated with appro-
pirate pomp and ceremony in both New
York and the Nations Capital, and
there will be rich program so long as
his visit continues. But neither the
Britain nor the Quaker President of the
Cnited States attaches overimportance
to ceremonious functions. They desire
results which will affect the world peace.
This phase Of the effort was fitly
described in advance by Ambassador
Dawes in q speech he made recently at
dinner Of the Pilgrim Society in Lon
don. He explained the desire Of both
nations to come to an agreement upon
q parity Of naval strength as measured
by the Hoover yardstick." and he EN-
phasized the fact that whatever agree
ment should be reached, 1t must be so
0Sv mvNA AlANR that the -
son who makes no pretense Of compre-
bending naval technicalities could I'M
derstand 1t. It must not be expressed
In elaborate and complicated naval for
mulas, which would only confuse the
average man and leave public sentiment
In q fog Is to what naval reduction
really signifed. II naval reduction or
adjustment to q basis Of equality be-
tween Great Britain and the United
States Ia to affect public sentiment and
confidence In security and continued
WINGED that 1t is to be no repetition OF
the result Of the 1921 disarmament
agreement of the washington Peace
Conference-actual destruction of new
battleships by the United States and
mainly the tearing up Of blueprints by
other nations. Nor will the people be
happy In the face of another failure to
get together like that Of the more re-
cent Geneva conference.
+
At the limitation Of ornaments con-
ference In Washington In 1921 q naval
agreement was signed by Great Britain,
France, Japan and the United States
under which 10 capital ships exceed
ing 10000 tons each) were scrapped
OF those 20 ships there were 80 strapped
by the United States-not obsolete ones
by any means-and % by the British
by France or Italy, since their navies
were not out Of the ratio agreed upon.
A limit was put upon aircraft carriers,
but none on cruisers, destroyers or sub
marines. It Is this last classification
cruisers, destroyers and submarines
which now comes up for special con-
Sideration.
In his last Armistice day address
President Coolidge said:
Last Summer France and England
made q tentative offer which would limit
the kind Of cruisers and submarines
but left without limit the kind adapted
to their use. The United States, of
course, refused to accept this offer.
1t no doubt has some signifi-
canoe that foreign governments made
agreements limiting that class of COM
bat vessels in which we were superior,
but refused limitation In the class in
which they were superior"
This exposure Of the obvious insin-
certify Of the will to reduce naval arma-
ments-their own included. In due ratio
resulted in the killing Of the secret
agreement which had been entered into
between Great Britain and France, 50
that today It Is understood that there
are no mental reservations" ON the
part Of any statesman in discussing
absolute parity between the two lead
ing countries In national naval defense.
y + 4 +
The world situation Is radically
changed since the Washington confer
ence of 1921 and the Geneva conference
Of April, 1929. Since then the Kellogg
pact has been ratified by all nations,
agreeing forever to abolish war as Q
national policy and wholly outlawins
wars of aggression. While It remains
necessary for civilized nations to re-
tain national defenses against outlaw
nations--such as Soviet Russia or any
other people liable to run Naiauck under
temptation--it ID no longer necessary
TO maintain navies against civilization.
Last Sptang ct the Geneva confer
ence, refeETipg 70 the Keilogg pacts