The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-05-30
WEDNESDAY. MAY 80, 1884.
GENEVA AND WAR
"a sCRIPPs-HoWARD NEWsPAPER)

save the decade-old disarmament conference
from death There is nothing new in this
Both Washington and Moscow for several
years have made standing offers to the rest
of the world to disarm as quickly as other
nations are willing to do. But most of the
other powers have been unwilling to accept
these offers. And the prospect is no brighter
now than before-indeed, in many ways it is
darker
Thus it is true that America has been
and is ready to go farther than other pow
ers. except Russia. in the matter of joint dis
armament. And it is also true that America
deserves credit for this, if for no other reason
than that we still are the richest and strong
est nation in the world and presumably best
able to care for ourselves in competitive
arms race.
But that is only part of the truth. 1t does
not follow-as so many Americans appear to
beleve-that we therefore are more pacific
than other nations The French and British
and others are as DESTROYS of peace as Ameri-
cans.
The difference is that we have friendly
and weaker neighbors on both borders and are
protected from foreign invasion by two vast
oceans, while the European nations and Eng
land are in the very center of the potential
war area. Hence their cry for security" is
real
Security can be attempted, though history
proves that it can not be guaranteed, by the
old method of superior armament and mill
tary alliances. Or it can be sought through
the new method of international agreement
in which the family of nations stands to-
gether and outlaws the aggressor. The new
method would not prevent disputes, but would
provide substitute for war in the settlement
of inevitable disputes. The combined effort
OF the worlds highest craftsmanship since the
great war has been to perfect such anti-war
machinery, That effort has not succeeded.
Disarmament and control of arms traffic
are part of the peace machinery, but only
part. Arms competition is merely a second
airy cause of war. 1t reflects deeper political
and economic causes That is why so little
progress has been made in disarmament The
only effective arms limitation agreement was
the 1922 Washington naval treaty. which was
achieved by linking it with the nine-power
political treaty for peace and security in the
far east. There has been no effective Euro
pean land disarmament as pledged in the
Versailles settlement chiefly because the DO
ltlcal causes of European war have been per-
petuated and multiplied by the victor nations.
Since there is less political security there is
more military preparedness in Europe.
Meanwhile, the temporary political stabil-
lty achieved in the far east by the Washing
ton nine-power treaty has been wrecked bv
Japanese aggression, and the resulting polit-
zeal insecurity now jeopardizes the companion
naval treaty which may die next year.
So both Europe and the far east today are
1rantlcally preparing for war They are in
creaSlng ornaments, and they are seeking and
making military alliances.
For this world tragedy no one nation can
be blamed. Japan and Fascist GERMANY are
cnle11y to blame for the immediate crisis But
JapanS Imperialism merely copies the earlier
American, British and French imperialisr
"hlle the new German militarism grows out
VI Tie lflperlallStlc peace imposed by the al
lies at Versailles
linus the world is plunging rapidly toward
another war like the last World war-which
no one wants, for which no one groun is IN
blame, and from which all will suffer and lose
OF course, world war can be prevented if
the nations are willing to pay the price of
peace, But they are not
Ihey would have to sacrifice their right 70
wage economic war against their neighbors
through tariffs and trade barriers. They would
nave to share basic natural resources with ma
ions lacking those resources Thev would
nave to internationalize straits and canals
winch control trade routes. Those who have
unused land would have to share with over
populated nations like Japan. These are the
oaSlc economic causes of the coming war. as
OF the last war: the conflict over markets.
trade routes natural resources population
outlets
moreover, to prevent war the nations would
nave to subject themselves to compulsory in
ternattonal arbitration and adjudication as s,-
preme over the old Sanctities of national in
terestS" and national honor"
Specifically and Immediately, to remove the
German war threat the European powers
would have to restore absolute German eco
nomic political and military equality-by re-
ducing their own armaments-and return
some OF the German colonies at least in man
date form. And to remove the Japanese war
threat, the older imperialist nations would
have to disgorge their fruits of conquest in
Guiding British India and French Indo-China,
as we are freeing the Philippines.
1t is because the nations-the peoples as
well as the governmentS-are not willing to