Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-20
Hoover HEARS
FOREIGN VIEWS
English Editor Declares Brit
ain Cannot Guage Worth
of Kellogg Pact.

| OpinlOn IN GreaC brlCaln ana fTauce
last evening asserted before President
Hoover and the American Society OF
Newspaper Editors that success of the
world peace movement depends upon
the cooperation of the United States.
H. Wickham Steed, formerly editor
OF the London Times; Andre (Pertinax)
| Geraud, political editor of the Echo de
Paris, and Rollo Ogden, editor of the
New York Times, we're speakers before
the annual banquet of the society whose
remarks were available for publication.
Hoover Hears Foreign Views.
President Hoover heard Mr. Steed de-
| clare that Great Britain still does not
know whether the Kellogg pact is
! worth the paper it is written on"
/ that Great Britain is asking for a re-
| sponsible person in the United States
to say that this Nation will not count
| as friend ANY nation" that resorts to
war unless and until every means for
amicable settlement Of differences is
exhausted.
President Hoover also listened as
Geraud, prominent as a spokesman for
the nationaliStic viewpoint asserted
that in the past France has been led
by her friends in this country to ex-
pect things not delivered.
Mr.. Hoover delivered an address. He
| spoke extemporaneously and in COM
pliance with the policy of the society
his remarks were regarded as conf
| Dental
Mr.. Steed, who was an observer at
the London Five-Power Conference and
left London to attend the editors meet
| ing, declared that peace has not been
established because the nations always
talked non-war, "a minus quantity
ScieuffRr Me-. NH.-S..
"You cannot argue minus quantity"
he asserted. WAR in the future. that
next war you hear talked about, will
be scientific method of mass murder.
Cities like London, Berlin and Paris
probably would be destroyed in the first
few days of hostilities. It is the in
herent stupidity of war that arouses
the horror Of mankind
II we dethrone this thing" he said.
we must put peace, not non-war, in
its place" This will not be possible
he added, unless economic citizenship
Is established along with political citi-
zenship, so that the citizen has a stake
In his government.
The one question on which the Lon
don conference was nearly wrecked was,
what are navies for? Mr.. Steed said
He said that 1t seemed inconsistent that
nations urging world peace should con-
Germ themselves with the size of navies
except as to insure the protection of
sea-bound commerce.
You have claimed parity of strength,
he said, land on that day you claim
parity of responsibility no one will chal-
lenge you" In that connection he as
serted that the United States is en-
tangled in European affairs, through
financial considerations and the In
terests of foundations such as the Car
negie and Rockefeller Foundations.
But the desire of the British people
for the cooperation Of the United
States In an active prosecution of peace
does not mean, he said, that 1t Is
hoped to drag this Nation into the
through the back door. I'VE are not
certain we want you in the World
Court" he said, amusedly.
The community Of nations, of
peoples rather than governments, has
as foundation stone the responsibilities
similar to community of citizens, he
said. "No nation shall have right
to judge its own acts In an interna-
tional community" he said.
Asks Definite Stand.
"That is the true basis Of peace" Mr.
Steed said. 1.-The clearing away Of war
Is only preliminary step. Before that
day comes we should know where the
nations stand where the United States
stands. How soon can we know that
any nation, whether in the League of
Nations or not, will be told by the
United States that 1t cannot claim 1t for
a friend unless 1t adopts every means of
settling disputes before resorting to
WARP"
Mr.. Geraud paid tribute to the Amer
lean press and said that the journalist
must present the facts, despite hard
ship and harsh treatment. It Is his
function, he said, Ito perfect the path
the statesman of the day may not
show the way.
The French journalist, commenting
on the difficulties encountered by Eu-
ropean newSpapermen In gathering
official news, paid tribute to President
Hoover for his statements to the press
and lauded the bi-weekly press con-
ferences the President has with press
representatives.
Mr.. Ogden discussed the affiliation of
the press with the government. He
said that in his time there has been a
great emancipation from partisan con-
troll. "A free press In a free country
is essential" he said, both independent
and interdependent." The whole SUBJ
| ject of the relation Of the two might be
summed up, he said, in the statement
| that Government without newspapers is
| intolerable; government with newspa-
pers Is endurable and government by
| newspapers would be worse than futile"
Held in New York by Fog.
Mr.. Steed and Mr.. Geraud were held
in New York more than IL hours on ac-
count of fog in the harbor, not being
able to leave the boat, and they arrived
barely in time to appear on the pro-
gram.
While Mr.. Geraud was speaking of
| the hopes France had entertained in re-
Spouse to earlier expressions Of Amer
lean opinion and referring to Frances
disappointments, the editors and their
guests suddenly heard the group singing
of My Country, IT'S OF Thee" Almost
at the moment the Frenchman touched
| on the nationalism of his countrymen,
the delegates to the National Society,
Daughters Of the American Revolution,
| who were holding their annual dinner in
an adjoining room in the Willard Hotel,
sang the patriotic song, not realizing, of
course, what was in progress elsewhere.
| The. editors drank toast to Presi-
dent Hoover. Before proposing "the
only toast we drink" Walter M Har-
rison, the society's retiring president,
related an anecdote told earlier in the
week by william Allen White, Kansas
publisher, who was one of the commits
sion appointed by President Hoover to
investigate conditions in Haiti.
Mry-Harrison said the commission had
agreed not to drink intoxicating liquor
| while abroad and that the pledge was
kept to the letter until the commission
arrived at the palace of President
RornO Tn he his r1IeStS af a state dinner