Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-12
BY CYRIL ARTHUR PLAYER.

BY CYRIL ARTHUR PLAYER.
Special Dispatch 10 The star.
BERLIN, August IL (N.AN.A).-It
Is easy for Germany to preach economy
for she has to practice it. 1t is easy for
Germany to preach disarmament, for
she Is diSarmed But as most OF the
Ianxiety over security" is founded IN
a still-living fear Of what Germany Is
capable of, If left to recreate her
strength, the German attitude toward
disarmament is important.
Germany. more even than the United
States. is outright for sled-length dis
armament. Naturally But back OF
Germany's position, however oppor-
tunely it fits in with her present for
| tunes, Is that treaty OF Versailles,
which is the constitution and the code
of King Status Quo.
| It is possible here both to sum up
the course Germany has taken in the
| past toward disarmament, and to ndl-
| cate the course she intends TO press on
the coming conference.
| 1t is almost four years since the late
Gustav Stresemann, then Germanys
! foreign minister, told the League AS
sembly that as soon as general dis
armament has really begun in all
fields fewer difficulties will be en-
countered in making further progress,
and every step forward will itself pro-
vide fresh elements Of security for the
whole world" The fundamental prin-
ciple of the covenant, he maintained, is
that the reduction of ornaments Is es-
sential for the maintenance OF peace.
Not Effective Form of Protection.
Security cannot and must not be
based on ornaments" he said. They
are not even the most effective form of
protection, and they inevitably consti-
| tute threat to neighboring countries.
| This is an absolutely certain outcome;
it cannot be entirely avoided even by
the most peaceable dispositions on the
part OF the governments. We IN Ger
many today are often tempted to say
to our neighbors what was once said
| in the Forum of ancient Rome TO cit
/ i2en OF that city. When he appeared
armed to the teeth in the MIDST OF q
peaceful crowd and tried to justify his
arms on the ground that he feared to
be attacked, he was simply asked 'Quis
tihi sic timere permisit?' Who gave
/ you leave to be so afraid?
A year later, at the League Assembly,
Chancellor Hermann Mueller faced the
/ incontegtable fact that the prolonged
| discussions that have taken place at
| Geneva have not so far produced any
/ positive results.
| THE nuch-discussed problem" he
continued, of the relations between Sc
curity and disarmament had found a
solution in the form OF a compromise
! between two opposing schools OF
! thought. / was greatly struck
at hearing one speaker describe in i'm
pressive terms, which gave a remarka-
1 bly, true picture of the reality, the
| symptoms and the dangers OF an un-
| fettered ornaments policy, whereas the
other speaker, II ! rightly understood
! him, maintained that undue trnpor-
| lance was often attached to the problem
of disarmament; that this problem was,
so to speak, of secondary nature; that
| it is too early to expect immediate
results, and that such results can only
| be looked for when individual coun-
| tries are fully assured as to their Sc
curity, an assurance which as yet they
| do not possess.
Germany ResentfuI.
.Referrinp 10 the failure Of the dis
! armament discussions DR.. Mueller con-
| tinued: II ask you to realize the et-
| feet on people which, having by
mighty effort effected complete dis
armament. still finda itself constantly
subjected to the gravest msinuaUlons
| foreign countries and Is even accused
of being a menace to the world, while
| 1t sees other countries steadily inereas-
| ing their own ornaments without blame
or refnonstrance.
"The disarmament Of Germany cam
not possibly continue to be a unilateral
act. the outcome solely OF the power
welded by the yictors in the world war.
| The promise that Germsny's disarma-
ment would be followed by general dis
4 armament must be fulfilled and, nnally,
! the article Of the Covenant which in
corporatss that promise as q basic
principle of the League OF Nations must
be carried into effect"
/ In conclusion, DR.. Meuller refused to
agree that so vast and difficult prob
lem is incapable of solution in q rela-
| lively short time. VIII not REMIND
| you that immediate disarmament was
not considered impossible Tor those
who were yanquished in the World
He urged a definite decision to con-
yene First Disarmament Conference
steps to end without delay the teehni-
cal work OF the Preparatory Commits
sion, and as the object Of the First Con-
ference, as an initial stage, TO bring
about an appreciate reduction OF all
existing ornaments and TO provide 1oT
luiA anu GOnlBtEtC EAOA~ANS 49, 49,
categories Of ornaments.
Lack War Equipment.
Answering. at the same session, the
argument that Germany's aramaments
still constituted a military factor TO be
! reckoned with Count Bernstorh re-
marked that "all the world knows that
Germany has no heavy artillery. no
tanks and no military air feet. Neither
has she any reserves of equipment or
ammunition The total trained reserves
are diminishing year by year. Her
war industries have been destroyed. II
! would take several months to train new
units and still longer 10 convert peace
time industries, however highly de-
veloped into war industries
Having regard to the geographical
situation of Germany-she is sur
rounded by powerfully armed coun-
trieS--a war would be bound to termi-
nate In favor of our adversaries long
before Germany could draw upon hel
human and industrial resources.
The German people are unable to re-
press feeling Of bitterness when they
see that the extent Of the efforts made
by Germany to carry out Loyalty the
disarmament clauses are being over
looked or belittled even the
pacific work upon which We have been
engaged with the object of recon
structing our economic life is used as
an argument against Us"
At last September's Assembly the pres
ent German foreign minister was still
repeating the four -year-old demand for
disarmament conference, saying
We take the same view now as in the
past-namely. that our work for thS
organization Of peace must primarily
be designed to eliminate war, not sc
much through repreSsive as through
preventive measures We have EN-.
phasized that the point at issue Is hot