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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Herald, 1928-01-05, Page 6• A PEACE SUGGESTION The Truth About Disarmament and What it Means SOME PLAIN QUESTIONS BY LORD RIDI ELL, I make no attempt to present a dis= Clwm in• chaos and 'overcrowded passionate viow of the League of Na:- Japan with extensive armaments and tions. We must lcno ✓ how we stand, a population increasing at the rate of and to be effective we must snake the se, trillion per annum for which she must find an outlet. inquiry free from rrejudice. Generally speaking, we find in Eur - First 'of all let us consider what is o e, America, and Japan.nn energetic the tengm,. ,. It was formed at the and increasing struggle to invent and Paris Peace Conference in 1019. The improve instruments of war. idea was British, but President Wil- son v -as its protagonist. Today fifty- 'We must remember, however, that five nations are represented in the there are fundamental causes for rG t League. America is notable by her of these armaments and preparations. absence. FAs Lord Grey remarked the other day, AMERICA'S MONEY. ( "Fear is the chief cause, It begets It is useless to disregard America's suspicion and distrust and evil imag- • pc. tion and her attitude. Most na- h4ags of all sorts; till cacti Govern - tions are heavily in her debt, either went.feels it would be criminal and a; for advances made during the war or betrayal of its own country not to! in r et,pe t of subsequent investments take every precaution, while every by li citizens in foreign countries. Government regards every precaution Shr has thus been led to adopt an. of every other Government as evidence iir I alistic naval, military, and of hostile intent.' commercial pol'cy fraught with grave dune,, r to peace. For instance, quite recently M.v. Curtis Wilbur, Secretary of the American Navy said: There is arse," er and less abstract cause. I'have alluded to Japan's over- flowing population. and to American measures to restrict immigration. "We have leans and property abroad Only- a specified number of burn arnotnting to 81 thousand million dal -1 grants of each nationality is admitted Lars (row considerably more). These every year, and the immigrant must vast interests must be considered' pass a severe medical examination. when we talk o•' defending the flag. With variations this applies in other -,,We fought not because Germany countries. The result is that over- 'thretitened to invade, Amreica, but be- Populated areas are unable to redis- cause she denied to cur citizens on tribute their surplus population. We the high' seas the protection of our have also to remembOr that the doc- fla*;. To defend Ammica we must be trine of Free Trade has not commend- ..+.='ice.-" ,t ..._ ::ir �d.« , :•�. i , , s•t THE HEROIC TUG GENERAL She figured gallantly in: the rescue of the crew of the Agawa, and is now breaking ice in the St. Mary's river in an attempt to get belatedsteamersto dock. rs o ed itself to the world at lar a and Prepared to defend its interests and g our flag in every corner of the globe, that with the exception of Great Bri faicts, Ie. -,hen they know the facts, Children at the Door An American child crying an thetarn every country has raised barriers they do not take action to compel banks of'the Yantze a thousand mile il' • protect its manufacturers. The their respeeti'e Government to adopt '1 have no trees before my house from the coast can summon the shi i#lure of the League to fulfil the ex- _ peaceful measures, they must take the of the American Navy up that river Mations of its founders has called con"sequences. Like the fowl, they will to nrotect it from unjust assault." forth much pungent criticism, sone of get it. in the neck. Numerous •other instances could be it from unexpected quarters. For in- - . given of American imperialistic tend- encies. For example, her desire to interfere iii the affairs of South Ani- exican States where she has huge in- vestments. She aspires to dominate the world in commerce, finance, liter- ature. and art. She vrill not tolerate forc'^n interference on the American con' •,lent. Her industries and labor ari•• 1-•. avily protected by tariffs and restricted immigration. A MENACE TO PEACE. On the other hand, she is eagerly pushing her foreign trade, and aspires to take a leading part in world diplo- macy without incurring responsibility. Mr. Houghton, the American` Am- baseador, said in March last year: ' `=The continent of Europe, so far as its statesment are concerned, has learned nothing front the war; the League of Nations, far from becoming a truly international instrument for the organizing of peace, is moving to - ward•, a revival of the alliance of 1815. . the Power of the European continent t do not genuinely wish to di: m." That may or may not be teue, but at any rate, Europe is justified in ask- ing America what lessons she has learned from the war and whether she is not busily engaged not only in in- creasing her naval and military equip- ment, but also in creating an atmos- pherc that may lead to a gigantic catastrophe. Europe may also point to the :statement in the American Fed- eral Peace Bulletin` that the United States stands alone among the great nations in its refusal to enter into a single all-inclusive arbitration coven- ant. I wish, however, to make clear that I dc not for one moment believe that Americans appreciate the probable re - milts of their policies. They are a peace -loving people, but fail to under- stand that what may appear to be lauccible" ambitions may involve ser- ious consequences. My second .observation is that the war deals are a menace to peace, be- cause th ay. create a spirit of enmity and criticism. • If they were wiped off the slate, the- world would be in a healthier condition. I am not refer- ring to reparations, which demand special treatment. Nations which plunge theworld into a cauldron'can- not expect to escape the consequences. • Now Iet us examine the European, situation. Signor Mussolini is re- ported to have said, in a speech de- livered in May: "The spirit of Locarno has evapor- ated. Everybody is arming.: •Italy must arra, . , Italy must be able to mobilize five million men and to arm then -i ... and our Air Force .. . must he eo nuinerous that the surface of their wings, just obscure the spun over the laifd,". Is it any wonder that France and Jugoslavia are "armed to the teeth and that they have coixcluded an offensive and defensive aliance which is said to contain a clause whereby the two countries agree to take joint action against any decision of the League of Nations which might endanger the se- curity of either: of them? Thie treaty has been countered by one between Italy and Albania, PREPARING FOR WAR, To continrie our survey. We find Germany fretting at her defenceless position and bent on revising her east- ern boundaries and readjusting her war debts.. We find Roumania and Hungary at daggers drawn. We find Czechoslovakia heavily armed, and in the distance we tees Russia with pow- erful military forcee. We find that Durke3t has been re- juvenated and that she has sieW to • ie reckoned with as a military power, stance, Commander Kenworthy says in his new book, "Will Civilization Right to Emigrate Denied to Crash?" 'that the League of Nations Spaniards' acts as an opiate on the popular mind Madrid.—Restrictions are placed on of the world. Mr. H. G. Wells says: the right of Spanish subjects to emi- "The League is more than useless because it is dangerous; a great num- ber of people in Europe and America are persuaded that it is a sort of war preventive, and that when they have raid their subscriptions to a local bronco of the League of Nations Union and been to a lecture or garden party once a year under its auspices, they have done all that they can reasonably be required to do to secure world peace for ever." It is obvious that any nation which threw away its legitimate means of protection while the League is estab- lishing itself would be -mad. For in- stance, if we were to scrap our Navy and Air Force in reliance upon the League, we might be starved' in .a few weeks. PLAIN QUESTIONS. You will sey that I have drawn a gloomy picture. Explain what can be done to brighten this murky prospect, My suggestions are these: We want more plain speaking be- tween nations. Every statesman in the world knows the dangers, but the policy is "Hush! Hush!" for fear of causing offence. Diplomatic etiquette and fear prevent statesmen from say- ing what they think. The time has come when the League should convene -a great -peace confer- ence of all nations whether members or not. At this conference existing conditions should be publicly stated without fear or favor, Amerika should be asked to join the League and she should be told that if she will the League Covenant can, be altered to meet er views. At the suggested conference Signor Mussolini might be asked whether he has been correctly reported, and whe- ter he is really intent on a huge army and a huge air force, and whether he does not perceive that such aspira- tions and intentions are a menace to the peace of Europe. Russia might be asked whether she is prepared to co-operate in the pre- servation of peace, and whether she thinks.it necessary to maintain a large military force. Germany: might be asked why she wants to increase leer military force and whether te abortive invasion of the Ruhr did not prove that shehas nothing to fear from France. France might be asked whether, if relieved of anxieties in ,connection with -Italy, Germany, and Russia, she could not see her way to a substantial reduction in her military forces. Sim- ilar questions night be put to Czeeho- slovakia and Jugoslavia. To cast their pleasant shade, About my windows never twine The blossoms God has made, But there are roses, sweeter far, That on the pavements bloom— The children of - the city streets, Whose laughter lights my room. No hedges like a honeyed wall Adorn my dwelling place, grate, by a decree issued by the Min No fountains weave upon my lawn istry of Emigrants. The new regula A web of twinkling lace, tions tend to inspire at least a mini= For me no robins greet the sun, mum of economic, educative and moral A fan 'of rainbow gleams, guarantees in behalf of those who But children play before my house,•-. leave Spain to make a living abroad. Under the decree, no single woman under 25 years of age is permitted to leave the country unless she is accom- panied by her parents, grandparents, or guardians. Further, documents must be shown by women coming under this restriction to prove that The country house is rich, indeed, they are going to join legal guardians, With blossom, bird and tree, or that they will be under the "pro- tection of a financially- responsible party. Male minors will have to prove that they are leaving either to join their families or to be under the guardian- ship of a financially responsible party who must assume the obligation of Tnene are over s,buu g completing their education and pro- in North America according to states fessional training. Who keep me young with dreams. What loneliness the streets would know If children were not here! • Their joyous voices bring a smile Or wing away a tear But happy children at my door Are wealth• enough for me! Morris Abel Beer , in "Street Lamps." Grizzlies Still Numerous szly bear tics gathered IIy Harlan I. Smith of the National Museum of Canada which appear in the January issue of Swinging Bella or Ten Hours "Field and Stream Magazine." Mr. Smith reports that there are Bell -Ringers .at Heptonstall Church; more than twice as many grizzlies in near Halifax, achieved a remarkable performance when they rang a record as in all the National Fore.sts of the peal of "Oxford Treble Bob Major,",United States outsid"e of • Montana involving 17,824 changes•, and Alaska. Mackenzie Park, he finds, During the ten hours fifty-one min- had 615 grizzlies, while the National utes taken by the peal, the bell -ring- Forest at Iraho had 99, Washington ers locked themselves in the belfry 20, Colorado 25, Wyoming 60, Arizona and took neither food nor drink. 29, New Mexico 22, Oregon 2, Mon - They remained standing thewhole tana 436, and Alaska 4,900—a total of time, swinging bells weighing be -•5,593 in the year 1925. In Yellowstone tween seven and eighteen hundred- 1 National Park there are a total of weight, at a rate of over twenty -1248 bears, of which number 74 are seven changes a minute. The feat grizzlies. There are 41 cubs listed has been honored by the dedication including one old grizzly mother with of a "peal tablet" In the church. 'four cubs. r---- t Mackenzie Park of British Columbia REDUCTIONS ALL ROUND. • Japan might be asked whether, • if America joins the League and under- takes not to increase her armaments, the Land of the Rising Sun could tiot reduce hers. Britain might be asked whether, in te event of a real world movement towards disarmament, she could not reduce her Navy, Army, and Air Force to smaller dimensions, in view of the fact that her food supplies from foreign countries would no longer be at riskto the same degree. Further, all countries might be ask- ed whether, es a taken of good will, they were prepared to reduce their armaments all round by 10 per octet. - 1,0 per cent of ships, 10, per cent. of then, 10 per cent. of airplanes, 10 per. cent, of gine, 10 per cent. of sub» marines ---a plain, simplo formula, - It may be said, what wouldbe the good of all this talk? The answer is that the peoples of the world would To go even further afield, Ivo fndihays an opportunity of learning that The Bible for the Balubas Already translated into more lang- uages than any other book, the Bible has now teen translated into the language of the Balubas -on of the largest tribes in Central Africa, by the Rev. T. C. Vinson, a Southern Presbyterian Missionary. Of this .mis- sionary's plodding toil in a far land, The Presbyterian Banner tells us: "After perfecting his knowledge of the. Baluba• language, Mr. Vinson spent more than a year in the trans- lation. Then the Belgian Government objected to certain forms of the work, and he spent another year in revision. After longmonthsof correcting proofs, several thousand copies of the Bible will be sent to the American Presby- terian Congo Mission for the natives. These were long years of hard toil that produced this translation, and many a man of the world would have said what a useless and thankless task it was.? What good will it do? De these African tribes have anything we want? Will they buy our goods an denlarge our markets? Are they not ignorant and dirty and degraded humans, and why should a man work five . years to give then a book that will bring no profit? So many a man of narrow- horizon and blinded spirit ual vision would - think and say. But that lonely missionary, hid in that far African forest, lives in a larger world than - trade and profits, even in the spiritual: world of eternal life that has the promise of the -life that now is as well as of that which is to come. He has the thrill of letting thelight into one of the darkest places on the earth, and enlarging the area of a better world. About eight hundred transla- tions of the Bible in whole- or in part have now been made, and thus the links ar lengthening that will bring the entire human family into the brotherhood of the kingdom of Christ and bind the whole world with gold chains about the feet of God." "ADAMSON'S ADVENTURES" -By O -Jacobson. G'wAN:. YA LITTLE RUN'i-! I'LL SIT WHEREVER I PLEASE! I WAS TO`ELLHIM IN I PUT MY GIGAR ON TH I S CHAIR!, (0>ispiihi, 051,1, The eel jeeiess, tea_ _ Good Place To Leave A Cigar. Moutvaim Faced Impossible Task C o v e r n m ent. Interference Blocked French General's Plans TI-IREE VICTORIES Historical Review by Col. W..1 Wood at St. James Liter- • ary Society An interesting story of the histor . foal "events centering about the time of the capture of Quebec by General Wolfe was 'given by Colonel William' Wood, D.C.L., F.R.S.C., in a lecture on .Montealm, 'given in Montreal De- cently. - The Chief points which the lecturer brought' out' were the almost insurmountable difficulties hich Mont - calm had to overcome. • The situation in which the French General" found himself placed at that time was de- scribed - as "five parts without `a whole," a - description of the state of government that existed at the time,' .before Qtitebee - was' captured. These • conditions were enumerated se a venal intendant, a sturpid governor, am army of rather indifferent compositions In-' dian allies and Montcalrn. HAMPERED IN. PLANS_ This general was greatly hampered in his plans and movements, but even - in spite of this he managed to achieve three brilliant victories over an enemy who considerably outnumbered the French, and on one occasion, at the l attle of -Ticonderoga, were ea" many as mour to one. Contrary to, the popular idea the lecturer claimed that Wolfe's plans for the capture of Quebec were not un- known to Montcalm and this 4n spite of the fact that Montcalm was cut oft from a proper intelligence service. •The British, on the other hand, had the freedom of the river over which . to make their movements, consequently it was much easier for Wolfe's different camps to keep ' in touch with each other. This was a help, too, in regard to keeping the different sections of the British army "posted as to the move- ments ,of Montcalm's troops. Had Montcalm's suggestion for fila occupying of the Levis heights with troops which could bring effective fire to bear on the British been adopted a different tale might have been told. In this way the French would have been able to keep up a cross -fife with the help of the batteries on the Que- bec side which would have made it•- very difficult for the British ships te. proceed up the river. This plan, Col- onel Woad showed, was overruled by the.governor, Vaud2'euil. TACTICS MADE' USELESS. Time rafter after time . Montcalm's splen- " did tactics were made worse than use• less through the needless and ,endless interference of the civil authorities, who did not even supply him withde. cent supplies. As to the battle itself, the speaker described it as a tragedy in five parts in which from the beginning the col- onies to the south had the preponder- ance, especially in regard to numbers, Even in spite of all the difficulties which Montcalrn had to meet if he had been given half a chance, he could have carried on a very successful was against all attacking forces when the natural strength of the fortifications is taken into account. But British naval supremacy coupled with greater man power was the deciding -factor in the attack against Quebec. Undefeated I heard a good story the other day concerning the - one and only • Leslie Henson. As he was about to enter the stage door he was held up by a "vesting" esting" brother "pro," who announced imper- sonally that if he could only raise tune fare to Sheffield he would be working Over Christmas. - "But," said Henson, "it's not three hours ago that' you pitched mea tale in the Strand about going to Ply- mouth—and touched." Undefeated., the brazen one gulped; . took a firm hold of his unsteady wits, and restorted with a vast show of in- dignation: "Well, what of it, Leslie? What of it? Even you change your patter, ' don't you?" Hee-H awl For Sale—one donkey, between nine and ten years old. Mother-in-law says her logs are too long but the' donkey's legs; are too short, and she can't ride..him because she has corns on her Maes and her feet bump on the ground. --Ad In a Marysville (Col.) paper.' Speedy Trade -In "This le your new father, dear."' But, mummy, we had hardly used . the last - onel "-Lite, Now that a repertory company is Now York has decided to give [Horn• ing performances of "Twelfth Night,". will the critics, meeting after lunch, great each other with, "Good after- noon, did you see 'Twelfth Night' thla morning"? • M.•, G. B. Shaw has stated that his earliest sensations, as a boy, were '. "The. ;pilgrim's progress"'and "The ,&Fabian 14!g'*s." In later life he is. believed •to have° been profoun{dly ire pressed by 'tile works of air, G. B Shawv --?tut h.