Evening star., 1932-01-31
The Last Chance for Peace?

duced its personnel Il quote the fig
ures of Lord Lloyd from 147,00O to
81, 900, while the United States NAVY
has increased its personnel from 81 900
to 1l4,ooo, and Japan from $4,000 to
10000.
1t Is expected that at the Disarrna-
ment Conference the representatives OF
Great Britain will propose, first of all,
the total abolition of submarines and.
secondly, reduction in the size Of bat
tleships and caliber Of guns carried
thereon, from $4,000 tons TO less than
$4,000, with 12-inch guns instead Of l6-l
inch. 1t will be proposed also accord
ing to naval experts who seem to know,
that cruisers should not exceed 5000
tons nor carry heavier armament than
6-inch guns.
On this question there is going 70 be,
some very heated argument. An the
smaller naval powers including France.
believe that their cheapest means of
defense Ito say nothing of attack lies
in the submarine, to which the British
Navy and shipping are most vulnerable.
What hypocrisy! they will cry. What
one-sided proposition! And the
United States will have quite lot to
say about reducing the size OF battle
ships and guns. The American naval
Will Sdy-dllu lLdNc dlIcdUy
that owing to the geographical position
tleships with a far cruising capacity,
and heavy guns with long range-for
securityS sake. It's all, of course, for
the sake of security-that sacred right
Of all nations. Hence the trouble.
Then there is Russia, and may heaven
help US, because nobody quite knows
what is going on in the mind of Rus
Sia. 1t is true that at various prelimi-
nary conferences the Russians have
suggested plans for complete and abso-
lutte disarmament of all nations. Ideal
lists and pacifiStS-With whom I am IN
great sympathy-Were inclined to take
this at its face value and say: How
marvellous! Those are the only people
who have the courage to make clean
sweep of armamentS." But it is also
true that while they were making this
amiable proposal they were increasing
their own armaments, manufacturing
aircraft. getting German aviators to
train their own pilots and spending
heavy sums on preparation for war.
Their present budget will, understand,
include more than $500 100000 for
military purposes.
Supposing that the Russians were to
spend nothing at all on armaments,
provided other countries were to spend
nothing at all-for the sake of argu-
ment though, of course, that is fan
tastic irnpossibility. What a glorious
chance to spread Communism across
undefended frontiers! Would there be
equality between the Russian people
armed with hay forks and, let us say
the Lithuanian and Latvian people
armed in the same way? Numbers
would tell very much in favor of the
Russian Here is another difficulty
which will face the conference. Re-
duction by budget would not reduce
the Russian Red army quite as much
as the French Army, to say nothing OF
the British Army. They do these
things cheaper in Russia.
Again. is there any possible or prob
able reduction in armamentS on the
part of France and her ring of friendly
states-Poland, Czechoslovakia, Jugo-
slavia-Which would satisfy the aver
age Germans sense Of justice and
equality? Germany is allowed 100000
men to keep internal order. France
may make a noble gesture Of self-re-
nunciation by cutting down her armies
by 40 psr cent. I can hear the laughter
of Herr Hitler Would he think that
Germany had attained a righteous
equality? He would not. He would
issue a proclamation to the German
people urging them to raise an army
equal to that CT France and her allies.
No, it is not going to be easy, this
Disarmament Conference. 1t is not
going to be a quick decision in favor
of universal peace by turning guns into
ploWshareS or safety razors DiSarma-
ment will have to c-me by installments
and the continual pressure of enlight-
ened opinion. My own view is that
it is. at best, an economy measure
by financial stress, and that there will
be some easing-off of the gross and
hideous burden OF costs under which
so many people are staggering.
That in itself will be a relief to the
Imagination and nerves of those peo-
pie. 1t will give them a chance of re-
newed prosperity which will make
them less inclined for war and less
embittered with the circumstances of
their present state. 1t will stop the
unlimited competition in armaments,
which otherwise would certainly result.
from a breakdown of the conference,
leadinc inevitably to new wars. 1t
would be a respite and breathing
space for the intelligent and spiritually
minded folk to get busy and prepare
other plans for peace and International
cooperation. That is why all men OF
good will must fervently hope for the
success of the conference, even if it is
only a partial success and fails to es-
tablish the peace of God on earth.
But there are other causes Of war
beyond a piling up of guns and ammu-
milton. There are jealcuSieS and Sus-
picions and fears and hatreds. Better.
even than a reduction of arms on the
part of France would be an intelligent
friendship and cooperation between
her and her neighbors Get rid of their
enmity and rivalry and almost all the
causes of war in Europe would be
eradicated. apart from the Russian
menace CT bogey. I personally believe
that Western Europe will have to unite
in defense of its traditional civilization
against enemies not armed with guns
and high explosives so much as with
diSintegrating ideas attacking the liber-.
ties of human life and the individual
soul. I believe that the world ITSELF
far beyond the European sphere. will
have to cooperate more closely in
order to get back the means Of ex-
change and the rhythm of world trade.
Nowadays we have to defend ideals
rather than frontiers, and to raise in
telligence instead of armies if we wish
TO be saved from general rum.
But the Disarmament Conference Is .
vastly and desperately important be-
cause if it fails utterly, or in its major
purpose, intelligence and world CO.
operation will have no chance of get,
ting to work in other ways. Mean,
while there is an enemy in our midst
and in our own minds and hearts. 1t
will sit behind every delegate at the
conference. 1t will shout through
every loud speaker. 1t will sprawl
across the columns of every news
paper in every language. The name of
the enemy is National Egotism. Let
us take the beam out of our own eye
before discerning the mote in the other
fellows argument. Let us not be too
fearful of our own security,
but take chance for the sake of world
peace. Otherwise there can be no
hpa6WaV made