The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-12-11
World Dynamite

Eventually the senate will ratify the world court
protocols submitted to 1t by President Hoover in
able message Wednesday but eventual action is not
enough Prompt action is needed
Anything we can do to emphasize international
cooperation in this time Of war clouds is vital If
the senate does not think there is an emergency let
it consider what Just has happened at Geneva.
After years Of talk and subterfuge, the prepara-
tory disarmament commission at Geneva has closed
up shop with what amounts almost to bankruptcy.
There is to be an international disarmament confer
ence-perhaps in 1932-but that 1t will result In dis
armament is highly improbable.
Describing the net result of the long abors Of the
preparatory commission, our chief representative,
Ambassador Gibson, said at the closing session:
This draft falls far short Of our hopes and
pectations 1t fails to contain many factors in which
we always have believed and which, in opinion,
would lead to real reduction Of ornaments.
What we have achieved does not hold out the
promise OF bringing about that immediate reduction
Of ornaments we would like to see" He went to
take some comfort in the fact that 1--WE at least
foresee sterilization Of ornaments"
In q world which has sworn fidelity to disarma-
ment with hand and proceeded to increase arma-
ments with the other hand-which is precisely what
all the great nations have been doing, including the
United States-perhaps there might be some gain in
merely "stablizng" ornaments at the present high
level.
Such gain however would be more theoretic than
real. For the dynamite in this armament dispute is
that the allied nations armed to the teeth while
Germany virtually Is disarmed. Thus sterilization
would mean perpetuating the present inequality in
violation of the Versailles treaty.
1t often too is forgotten that the allies in dis
arming Germany, pledged themselves to follow suit
The rapid growth Of the German Fascist and mill
tars parties In the last year reflects the natural but
dangerous mpatience of the German people over the
allies failure to carry out their disarmament pledge
Unless general arms reduction is achieved
1t Is certain that the German nation viii insist on
increasing German ornaments.
That is why the usually optimistic statements of
the statesmen at Geneva changed to cries
of alarm. Speaking of the present world emergency
the Greek delegate declared that disarmament agree
ment els imperatvely necessary; the Dutch chair
Of the commission said mo more time is to
be lost Failure would be disaster; the German
delegate warned of grave dangers" and Gibson said
that public opinion must not be lulled into false
sense of confidence"
Faced with this explosive world situation, the
United States during the next year has the power
TO lead in international cooperation for peace with
out which the armament race will probably result in
war.
If the United States will join the world court
promptly, keep down its armament expenditures,
call of its tariff against other nations for
ward with consultation treaty and otherwise put
teeth into the now hopeless Kellogg pact outlswing
war, we may prevent the international explosion.
This is the world challenge to the United States
government