Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-21
LACK OF CONFIDENCE is SEEN
GREATEST FARLEY PROBLEM
Prime Minister Macdonald
Hopeful of Success of
Naval Conference.
Follows King in Welcoming
Delegates to Sessions
in London.
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
LONDON, January 2i,-The text oil
Premier Macdonalds speech before the
Naval Conference today follows:
THE gracious speech to which We
have just listened both conveys to you
the hearty welcome Of this country and
also expressed the hope which the
people of every nation share that our
iabors here may be crowned with sue
cess.
"It is peculiarly appropriate and is
the cause Of the most ardent Satisfac-
ton to US that this should be the oc-
casion of his majeSty's first public
speech since his recent illness, and !
venture to offer to him in your name
our most hearty thanks and congratu-
lations.
Every country today-wealthy and
poverty-stricken alike-feels the burden
OF arms. breads their competitive de-
velormert, doubles the value of the
security they give and would like to
escape from their influence and power.
And yet, as has been shown again and
again, the difflculties in the way are
pally from one source-a lack Of conf
dence.
1.-THE spirit Of doubt whispers: There
will be some states which will refuse
to carry out its obligations to the COM
muntty of peaceful states; the machin-
cry OF arbitration will break down
somewhere and somehow; do what we
may, q situation will arise one day
when deadlock Of some kind win have
to be faced, and there will be but one
remaining method-a Tight
Nexns for Peace.
''Thus 3 habit Of mind nurtured by
the experience of many generations
controls our thinking and our actions,
casts q Sl1iver of hesitancy over all our
peace efforts and prevents q treat
change in our attitude toward mill
tarisKn as means of national security.
AS q matter Of fact, the generations
OF experience which fear uses to pen
us up In spellbound businesses of mill
tarisin ought by their failures to en-
tighten us, so that we break the spell
and seek for peace and security by
other means.
THAT wilIscome- how marvelously
slow it has been! How easy it is to
retard the progress of states when an
ol6 nabit can be enlisted to fight en-
lghtened reason.
The whole world, It may be said with
almost literal accuracy is turning its
eyes upon US today. It expects that we
snail deliberate and negotiate on the
assumption that having put our names
70 pactS or peace we mean to respect
our signatures. It prays that we shall
not only relieve 1t Of burdens but estab-
hsh 1t stu more securely in the ways
Of peace.
1T begs us to give public opinion a
the narrower scrutiny Of the technical
experts and to put it on to the broader
neld OF the creative statesmen. Above
all 1t demands from US an agreement to
stop competition which recently has
begun to show itself both in the types
and the number Of ships. II we are
not careful we shall be once more in
volved In feverish competition such rs
heralded the outbreak Of the war in
1914.
Progress Has Been Made.
"At the same time If the conference
and Its work are to be judged Justly
some appreciation must be shown of
the nature Of its task. Since 1919 the
securing OF peace has occupied much
OF the attention of nations and very
considerable progress had been made.
The League Of Nations steadily
builds UP Its authority and in various,
clauses Of its covenant provides mutual
security to welldoers and menaces to
eyil-doefs among nations.
q. fTile peace pact signed in Paris in
1898, which though lacking in ma
chinery except that which the covenant
supplies for members Of the League Is
nevertheless mighty moral bulwark
against War-and we must never under-
estimate the effectiveness Of moral bull
warks with no bayonets nor bludgeon
behind them.
1.-The entry Of the United States into