Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-19
BY FRANK H. SINONDS.

n ANY public utterances Of Presi-
NH dent Hoover in the recent past
wv eliminating In his final state
4 i men after the agreement over
the debt moratorium, have
combined to indicate his clear purpose
to press the issue Of disarmament at the
conference called for this object In
Geneva next Winter. 1t is therefore
essential for the American people to
perceive why this presidential purpose
must involve us at once in the very
penter of the present European political
situation, and in very sharp and con-
einuing controversy with various Euro
bean peoples.
The international anarchy which has
prevailed in Europe ever since the close
of the war has its immediate origin in
the refusal Of the people who lost the
war to accept as final the terms of the
various peace treaties. This refusal has
at once threatened the territorial unity
and military security of other countries.
And in practice this has meant aligning
the French, Polish. CzechoSlovak, Ru-
manian and Jugoslav peoples on one
side and the German, Austrian, Hun
garian and Bulgarian on the other.
Thus two groups, together counting
200, 200, 900 peoples and fairly equal In
kize has confronted each other.
The deadlock which has resulted from
This shock of purposes has so lar
paralyzed all attempts at permanent
organization of peace, and has been in
no inconsiderable degree responsible for
the economic prostration of Central
Europe. 1t has, too. caused nations
whose unity or security was menaced
by the demand for treaty revision to
make military alliances and expand
their military organizations. thus re-.
storing the perilous circumstances Of
pre-war Europe.
BY the treaties of peace the defeated
powers were rigidly restricted in the
matter of ornaments to forces adequate
to preserve domestic order. While this
condition endureS they are automati-
rally stopped from any attempt by force
to realize their aspirations for treaty
revision. On the other hand, since their
forces are now at that minimum con-
sistent with the preservation of domestic
order, they are removed from the effect
Of any disarmament operation.
Thus. when Mr.. Hoover confrontS
Europe with a recommendation for a
reduction in military forces, he is, in
fact asking the peoples whose unity or
security is menaced by the revision pro-
gram to reduce the single means which
they possess to make impossible such
revision. And each reduction in num-
berS or material lessons the gap between
them and their neighbors whose pur-
poses threaten them.
Counter Proposals Likely.
So 1t Is Obvious that the status quo
powers, who are also the armed powers,
will counter Mr.. Hoover's demands with
certain proposals Of their own. They
will ask that in return for the reduction
of their military insurance against ter
fitorial loss they be given other guar
'kntees. These guarantees can either
eake the form Of an American pledge to
defend the status quo powers IL they
are attached following compliance with
American request Tor armament reduc-
rion. or they may ask the American
President to obtain in Berlin, Vienna
and Budapest some satisfactory pledge
Of the German, Austrian and Hungarian
purpose to respect the status quo.
For it will be seen that to the minds
o. the status quo peoples mere reduc-
ton in military forces will not promise
peace but rather threaten war, as 1t
lessons the odds against the people who
now insist upon treaty changes. Thus,
In point Of fact. the very conception of
disarmament as means to promote
peace Is nonresident in the minds of
more than hundred millions of peo-
giles, for whom ornaments are an I'M
welcome burQen, Dorne SIMPLY because
they constitute the only present guar
Rntee against aggression.
In the existing situation the League
kf Nations IS obviously powerless. be-
cause 1t has no moral authority or
physical resource on the one hand to
compel the status Suo powers to agree
to revision, or on the other to coerce
the revision states into a remuneration
Of their policies. Moreover, since neither
group Of powers is prepared to submit
its case to international adjudication,
as the United States would refuse to
permit an international adjudication Of
its title to Southern California or New
Mexico, action by the League in favor
of either group would destroy its moral
appeal to the other and simply lead to
a secession Of the powers which felt
themselves wronged.
Whatever government happened to be
In power in France at the moment, pop