Western news and the Libby times. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1920-1933, 1930-01-30
LISTENING IN

AAC uOuI "a OsOO Ou b1tC luOAuiAA& Va
January al, in the year Of Our Lord,
1880, and the place 10 one OF the
homes in the town Of Libby. A little
party has gathered together, waiting
with eager expectancy for the antici-
pated broadcasting from London, Eng
land, Of the opening of the naval ar
maments conference, by his majesty,
George v, King Of Great Britain
Now we hear the stirring strains
of the British Grenadiers," floating
through the ether, followed by che
soul inspiring, 20 say can you see by
the dawn's early light" coming from
the Metropolitan Broadcasting Studio,
New York. 1t is within a few mo-
ments of o'clock, and the voice of
the announcer at K S l., Salt Lake,
City is heard saying "Stand by,
please. Just a moment and we will be
linked up with London" We wait,
and soon we hear the voice OF Brit
aims beloved king, as clear and dis
tinct as though he were speaking In
the same room. We listen intently,
and catch something Of the deep ear
nestness of the speaker as in simple
language he voices the longings Of
thoughtful men and women all over
the globe. "Since the great war all
of US have determined to leave moth
ing undone to prevent repetition OF
that grim and immense tragedy. We
are seeking to bring about agreement
between maritime nations on the linn
itations of naval ornaments and
bring the reduction to a point consis-
tent with national security"
We miss something at this point,
as near station clashes in with
some jazz but again the voices reaches
us. 81 believe that you to whom your
governments have intrusted the high
office of continuing the task begun at
Washington with the single-minded
intention of proceeding not with any
selfish and exclusively nationalistic
purpose but with the noble inspira-
tion and resolve to remove once and
for all this particular obstacle from
the path Of order and civlnzed prog
ress." Now we are wondering
what choice bit of Billingsgate we
can use to characterize the interfer-
ence at this moment. However, it does
not last long. The voice is heard
again; II earnestly trust that this
conference will lead to immediate al
deviation of heavy burdens now weigh
ing upon the peoples Of the world,
and also by facilitating the work of
the preparatory commission on dis
armament hasten the time when gen.
eral disarmament conference will deal
with this problem in an even more
comprehensive manner. In this hope
/ shall follow your deliberations with
the closest interest and attention.
He is finished, having spoken for just
about six minutes, and with the close
of the kings speech, the great epoch
making conference is opened. Now
we hear Secretary Stimson, chief del
egate from the United States, pro-
posing the election of the Hon. Ram
say Macdonald, prime minister of
Great Britain, as chairman OF the
conference. This seems to meet un-
animous approval, and the British
labor leader begins his speech in re-
ply. Who listening in" will ever for
get the burning sentences that fell
from MacDonald's lips. Many OF his
sentences will have something more
than passing Immortality: the man
is in earnest: quietly he emphasizes his
own position. Can we forget the his
torical reference. Having put our
names to pieces Of paper, we mean to
respect our signatures" .Oh, If that
had been the attitude Of the war
lords away back in 1914, what del
uge Of blood would have been avert
ed. Hundreds of thousands Of brave
men of all lands, whose bodies lie in
Flanders field "where popries grow"
would have been living today. Govern
ments which since then have fallen,
might have been Stabilized, and the
day of the Prince of Peace nearer.
MacDonald's speech, guarded though
it was, voiced the feelings of the mass
of Britain's thoughtful citizens, and
the graceful utterances which fob
lowed by Secretary Stimson, Premier
Tardieu Of France, ex-premier Wakat-
suki of Japan, and Foreign Minister
Grandi of Italy were equally clear
and unequivocal,
AS Listeners in" we felt that a
wonderful privilege had been &C
corded US of participating in an
epoch making event, and we were
doubly glad that we lived in an age
when such an event could be shared
in by rich and poor alike.
The event epochal making in its
significance, was marked by several
features which are worthy of note.
First: 1t was the first time that a
kings voice was heard by millions
who had never gazed upon his fea-
lures save from looking at pictures.
It was the first public utterance Of
King George since his serious i'll
ness and the first time in history,
when in the Royal Gallery Of what is
known as the 'Eilded Chamber de-
mocracy had it's innings and public