The Waterbury Democrat., 1946-04-04
By Dre1C Pearson

made by dry forces Congress probably will not bt pressured into adopting another prohibition ameno- ment to the Constitution for at least two reason
 (D The opposition of CT war veterans, and (2 loss of federal tax revenues. In l945 the Fed eral Government collected $2,400,00000O and state governmentS $6OOOOOOOO in taxes on alcoholic bey- erages
 It was just 25 years ago that the United State was host to another great diplomatic gathering the Washington Arms Conference, attended py the worlds leading statesmen-Charles Evans Hughes Lord Balfour of England Arstide Briand of France, Premier Kato of Japan. They were men big enough to speak for their governments without having each semi.coon in their speeches cabled from home They were also able speak eloquenty so eloquenty that they could change votes and mould punnc opnlon'
 There followed other conferences, the Geneva Naval Conference of 1927, the London Naval Con- ference of 1930 plus various League Of Nations dis armament conferences, too numerous to mention With each one, little more of the worlds nope, little more of the brave idealism Whlcn the United States gave the Washington Arms conference in 1921 ebbed away. The conferees especially tne Americans, became more cynical, more dscourageo' more diSillusioned.
 One of those who consistently strove for disarm- ament at Geneva was the Russian Foreign Minister, Maxim Litvnoff. He was always present, always tne center of newspaper attention, always made heao- lines with his demand that nations disbano tner armies and navies entirely Perhaps it was because Russia didn't have big army in those days or perhaps because 1t was smart policy to neeGs ne pooh-poohed the American British formulas Tor 5-5-3 ratios on batteships, or for limiting the num- Der of l0000ton cruisers, he wanted to abolish all armament.
 A lot of things have changed since then-both in Moscow and New York. Russia today has the great est army in the world. She has kept on calling new men to the colors to replace discharged veterans until her army today is just as strong as during the war And the United States which had been looking forward to its old peacetme volunteer army, now awaits President Truman's speech at Chicago when he expects to call for a conScrip army Of one ana C half million men-the first time in history that we have ever dreamed of such force in days Of peace.
 Tn New York, meanwhile the colorfu daring Litvinoff has been replaced by a messenger-hoy ambassador who sits at end of a telegraph key and is afraid to get out of his limousine without cabed instructions from Moscow
 Gone is the oratory, the statemanship the drama of the old conferences The only delegate at New York big enough to speak for his country is Jimmy Byrnes. The others must get play-by-play instruc- tions from home
 It's like a chess game with each cautious play CT consulting book of rules before he moves.
 But despite these pessmistic overtones, certain encouraging factors are in the background of the LIN meeting in New York In the first place Amer ican public opinion in fact most of world opinion, is more alert and intelligent than ever before. Per- haps susceptible to this, the Soviet Government, powerful 1t s springs from flouting world opinion too fagrantly.
 It wants its own way and may take its own sweet time about answering notes. But 1t won't go to war Iran anything else short of an invasion of it's own territory. And when you remember that not so many years ago the Czar fought bloody war in the Crmea the question of Turkey then per- haps despite all the Encouragement, are slowly stumbling along in the right direction.