Evening star., 1932-01-31
Continued From First Page.)

| economic field which has ever hit Der
during the industrial era is desperately
anxious to reduce her expenses on ships
and soldiers to the lowest figure pos
sible by any international plan of re-
! duction. The same is true of Italy:
and as far as Germany Is concerned,
her bankrupt state has been broadcast
| by international accountants. Poverty,
bad trade, oppressive taxation, the COL
| lapse of credit, the slump in commodity
prices and the flight from gold are the
most powerful arguments in favor of
| disarmament.
On the psychological side is the in
| telligence of the intelligent. One can't
bank too much on that, because it Is
a strictly limited commodity. But one
| needn't underestimate it. In every
| country there are groups of men and
women who see very clearly that war
under modern conditions is as harmful
to the victor as to the yanquished that
it is an unintelligent way of settling
disputes, that it is denial of all belief
| in human progress and an outrage
upon faith in humanity itself.
| In Europe, SO recently stricken by
| four -and-a-haf years of massacre and
| ruin, there is among all Clear-thinking
! people-say few millionS-an absolute
conviction that another war on the
same scale with even more efficient
weapons would actually mean-withOut
any literary exaggeration-the down.
| fall of civilization, the end of all ira
dition, the beginning Of the last phase.
| They see that this national egotism, this
| inf1amed and selfish patriotism which
| led to the last war and is still enor-
mously strong behind all frontiers, can
no longer be tolerated in its childish
| manifestationS-the mentality of a
| braggart boy-noW that the world has
shrunk size lowing to the speeding
up of communications annihilating dis
| tance) and the interdependence Of ma
| tions in trade and finance.
| In addition there are many millions
| of people who have not thought very
| deeply or clearly about these things but
who have a spiritual influence on world
affairs not to be ignored altogether by
| statesmen and diplomats. Their horror
Of war, their prayers for peace, their
faith in pacts and pledges made so
Solemnly by the signatories of the great
| powers will have some weight in the
| Disarmament Conference because even
the most cold-blooded diplomat the
| most cynical statesman, dare not nova
| days ignore mass opinion, and if he
, wishes to defy 1t he has to pretend that
| he is fulfilling it. Even that is help.
| But the truth is, I think, that cynic-
ism will not be present at the council
! table-not deliberate and callous cyniC-
! ism. Every statesman present will be
| sincerely and even paSsionately anxious
| to formulate some plan for the reduc
| tion Of armamentS-prOvided that such
plan does not endanger the security
and vital needs of his own nation.
! And that proviSo is likely to prevent
| mir rI
| sired. 1t raises the most stupendous
| difficulties which will lead to inter
minable arguments, hot friction among
| nations and groups of nations, charges
| of hypocrisy aSd falsehood charges OF
bad faith and downright Wllainy, and
| above all, clamor in the press of all
| countries that their nation is being be-
| trayed by paciflStS, that their national
security is being undermined, that the
whole conference is a fake, that France
is fastening new shackleS onto defeated
peoples, that Great Britain is seeking
| to secure sea supremacy under cover of
| disarmament and that the United
! States is asking the world to disarm
while refusing to reduce the size of her
! own warShips. Oh, it's not going to be
| plain sailing! The press reporters are
| going to have q great time. Millions
! of words are going to be written and
read-with heartburn and soul sick
nesS-before there is any agreement on
! disarmament.
The difficulties are truly great. The
! dream of a United States of Europe is
| still distant vision. Europe is still
| conglomeration of nations among which
many have a racial and traditional
! hatICd of each other-for no light rea-
sons but in remembrance of invasion
| with oil &c nd optc Of
| enmity, oppression and injustice which
| still infiame ever-open wounds. Beyond
| Europe other races live in suspicion and
| fear of each other, or wait until the
western nations weaken before rising
! against their influence or domination.
France is going to be the scapegoat
! of this conference. All ardent pacifistS
| will pick on her as the cause of delay
! and obstruction. But it is not asking a
| little of France to surrender her pres
! ent supremacy in arms. 1t is like ask
| ing a medieval knight to surrender his
sword in the presence Of the dragon.
! At least, that is how it seems to many
| intelligent FTenchmen. They believe
| quite honestly that peace in Europe has
been kept until now only by the fact
| that Germany and Austria and Hun
| gary have been powerlesS because OF
| French guns and airplanes and bayo-
nets. Supposing they disarm or reduce
their strength by so per cent. That, in
| their opinion, will make it so per cent
easier for Germany to fight again in
order to reverse the verdict of the last
war-which millions of Frenchmen be-
| lieVe they intend to do, or try to do,
sooner or later.
Italy is in favor of the most sweeping
reductions. Yes. says the average
Frenchman. but Italy also is hostile to
| France, but unable to do her damage
because of French superiority in armed
| power. In another war Italy would be
! with Germany. and it is therefore to
her advantage to reduce French power.
All we want, says the average French
| man, is security and the status quo.
Yes, but the French idea of security is
not going to be lulled by scaling down
armaments to the level of those peoples
who are passionately resolved to end
the status quo and revise the peace
treaties by completely redrawing the
map of Europe. They make no secret
of this intention. Herr Hitler proclaims
it through megaphone. So at the con-
ference table the representatives of
France are bound to raise difficulties.
Do We expect them to behave as though
Germany were inhabited by angels? I
| merely suggest one reason why dis
armament is not so easy as it looks to
simple souls with a prayer for peace in
their hearts.
The French and others may suggest
a reduction by budget-so much less
to be spent, proportionately. 1t sounds
all right until analyzed. But it doesn't
lead to equality. France has a con-
script army Her colonial and colored
troops are cheap soldiers. So are her
boys who join the colors for their mill
tary service. Great Britain has little
regular professional army which costs a
great deal more a man. Her navy is
vastly expensive, ship by ship, in rela-
ticn to foreign submarines launched
like tiddlers at small price, but with
very destructive qualities. This reduc-
tion by budget won't satisfy several ma