Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-11-01

~ ENEvA.--Dramatizing disarm-
ament is the somewhat diff
Y cult task that Is now con-
~ fronting certain governments
some hundreds Of statesmen
Journalists pubiicists and people inter
ested In the success of the first World
Disarmament Conference, scheduled to
meet In Geneva in February. Sixty
three countries have been invited to
participate. Most have accepted.
Yet but q short IS years ago tbs
word disarmament was scarcely known
Today 1t Is on almost every lip. The
fanaticisn, however, Of its opponents
and advocates has so involved the issues
that few people really know what dis
armament is all about.
Politically speaking. disarmament
means that Europe is today standing at
the crossroads. On one hand the sign
points to limitation and reduction of
ornaments in accordance with treaty
pledges-and possibly permanent peace.
The other points to unrestricted COM
petition in building armies, navies and
air forces and the inevitable temptation
to use these weapons for the securing
OF nationaliStic ends, as is evidenced In
Manehrria today-and war.
War theoretically Barred.
theoretically wa has been outlawed
through the kellogg pact, which 81 IA
lions have signed. Theoretically reason
has supplanted force as a method Of
settling differences among the IS coun-
tries which belong to the League. Be-
bi-lateral arbitration and Cancellation
treaties have been signed in the past
10 years. Then there are Locarno, the
World Court and stacks of other paper
pledges" to maintain peace.
Although It seems unbelievable, II Is
fact that there is only one country
in the world which today could legiti-
mately use war as an instrument Of
national policy without violating one or
more international pledges. That ma
ton Is Brazil, and even Brazil would
find it dificult to make war without
violating her own constitution.
Despite all these moral" precautions,
war turks around every corner In Eu-
we're ignited. Once the French, Ital-
ian and Jugoslav armies were all in
process Of mobilization-presumably for
Summer maneuvers; another time the
military forces of the Petit Entente
Jugosiavia, Czechoslovakia and Rou-
mania-were prepared for action when
Prince Otto and the Hungarian Legiti-
mists were plotting royal restoration
Quick diplomatic action averted HOSTILE
ties.
Europe on Volcano.
With so much inf1ammabIe material
lying around, Europe Is sitting on a
volcano. One aim Of disarmament Is
TO remove fuseS-to make 1t bit more
are other alternatives.
Taking 1t in at glance, the actual
situation Of ornaments today Is as
follows: Seven leading countries of the
world. excluding Germany. this year are
spending nearly three billion dollars
$2,T91, 000, 900 to be exact on their
armies and navies. That figure repre-
sents SO for every man, woman and
child in the United States, Great Brit
ain. France. Japan, Italy, Spain and
Russia.
The United States, according to Sec
rotary Andrew Mellon, Is taking 80 cents
out of every dollar of revenue collected
to prepare for future war or pay for
past ones In which the United States
has been engaged.
French Outlay Heavy.
france ii doing practically the same
10 francs out Of every 100 going for
war accounts. In Great Britain IL
shillings out of every 20 are needed for
her war budgets.
There are more than $500, 900 men
under arms today, / for every 400 peo-
lie, with an actual maintenance cost
Of this unproductive military establish
,ment of around $500, 900 GOO annually.
OF the worlds huge war bill the
United States pays II per cent. The 28
countries Of Europe carry in the col
lective pockets 66 per cent, and the
British dominions, South and Latin
America and the Orient account for the
rest.
France, despite her protests Of pacific
intentions, is spending, according to M.
Daladier, Socialist Radical leader, H.
GOT ,000, 900 francs in 1881 for national
defense" while she Is devoting less than
that amount for all her other con-
Structive ministries put together.
France is actually spending more for
war than she is for all her peaceful pur-
suits combined.