Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-06-07
BY FRANK SIMONDS.
IV-Peace. Disarmament and Debts.

1V-Peace, DISARMAMENT ana Debts.
Copyright. 1891. Mcclure Newspaper
Syndicate.)
It remains now to discuss certain
questions which have a peculiar IN
terest for the American reader, those
which concern first the prospects of
peace or war in Europe; second, the
issue of disarmament, and, finally, the
related problems Of reparations and
interallied debts.
AS to war, one can say at once that
nowhere is there the smallest sign of
any conflict either this year or during
any time for five and perhaps for ten
years. War Is outside the range OF
present possibilities and, therefore, OF
present discussion, because no country
save France could finance a fight, and
no country more than France desires to
preserve situation which Is, after all,
satisfactory to the French.
No country, no group of statesmen in
any nation or alliance. no responsible
political party anywhere, save perhaps
in Soviet Russia, Is thinking of war
The danger in Europe arises rather
from the possibility of disintegration in
certain countries and even in the whole
vast region of central Europe; of col
lapse within countries due alike to the
economic crisis and to the political
policies Of other states, which can lead
to disorder and even to revolution In
various nations. Of which Germany is
the most important.
Disarmament Political Issue.
1t follows, therefore, that the dis
cuSsion of disarmament is more or less
academic. And. in fact, outside of
Great Britain, the issue of disarma-
ment Is in the main political Ques-
ton. The attitude of the continental
nations. great and small, in respect to
disarmament Is indicated, not by the
simple question of peace, but by the
bearing any reduction in military and
naval forces might have on the in
terestS of nations themselves.
Thus, for example, the countries
forcibly disarmed as a consequence of
the peace treaties, namely, Germany,
Austria and Hungary, are strongly adj
vocating disarmament. Since their own
forces are cut to the bone, any reduc-
ton of the standing armies of their
neighborS, who were their opponents in
the World War, will create a more IA
vorable military situation for them. In
word, since the German army at
least in theory, consists of but 100, 900
men, the irreducible minimum required
to reinforce the police in the interests
of domestic order, Germany must profit
by any reduction of the present French
force, which counts about 100000 in
Europe. Hungary in the same fashion,
would gain by reductions in the forces
of the armies of the Little Entente.
But France, Poland and the states of
the Little Entente, which feel them
selves menaced by the German demand
for the revision of the territorial clauses
of the peace treaties, by the Hungarian
demand for similar changes or by the
Russian threat, are in no mood to make
any reduction whatever. Thus they
continue to demand that security shall
precede disarmament, and while no
other guarantee of security than their
armies exists, decline all proposals to
cut down their establishments.
Russia Advocates Reduction.
Soviet Russia, on the other hand,
while maintaining an army Of upward
of 100000 and steadily. with German
aid, increasing the efficiency of this
army both in materiel and in training,
warmly advocates the most far-reach-
ing program of military reduction in
all other states. Every nations army
is one of the effective reserves against
that world revolution Russia Is always
seeking to promote.
There is only one country in Europe
which advocates disarmament for what
one might term purely and simply
pacific reasons, and that is Great
Britain. The British people believe
disarmament is the one sure road to
peace. But in this situation the Brit
ish are unable to press their argu-
ments, because they are met by France
and her allies, the armed states of the
Continent, all of which demand that
in return for any reduction of their
armies Britain share contract to lend
her navy and army to restrain and
coerce any country guilty of aggression.
And the British people will not stand
for any such commitments.
The Labor government in Britain Is
pushing hard for a disarmament con-
ference. 1T is in fact due to its efforts
that the sessions will be held at Geneva