WAR MUST END

Evening Star, Issue 19713, 14 November 1927, Page 5

WAR MUST END

FEELING IN BRITAIN DANGEROUS DRIFT CHECKED UNEXPECTED SUPPORT FOR DISARMAMENT, Press Association—Ev Telegraph—Copyright LONDON, November 12.“There must he no more war!” With surprising swiftness this determination has spread all over Britain on the occasion of the ninth anniversary of the armistice. New and unexpected support for disarmament is forthcoming from practically the entire Press. A dangerous drift into war talk had been most apparent, and even last week the people spoke almost glibly of the next war, and great journalists and statesmen were found dangerously discussing its form and type. Responsible journals published elaborate details, and Dean Inge wrote informatively and ruthlessly of the terrors of the next war, accepting it as an inevitable fact rather than condemning war talk, which is most likely to lead to war. Today, with the memory of 1,000,000 dead and a stark recollection of workless and homeless heroes, wives, and dependents, comes an almost incredible clamor for peace and disarmament, excelling anything since the war time. First came the scathing authorita*tivo denunciation from such a great soldier as Sir William Robertson, who, when on the eve of 50 years of a military career, denounced war in such terms scarcely ever heard from the lips of a great soldier. Fie described it as ghastly, useless destruction.

A great thinker such as Air FI. G. Wells penned a remarkable letter to the Liberal candidate for Southend byelection, declaring that the' Baldwin Government was heading straight for war, and adding that, though he himself was for Labor, ho would vote for the Liberal in order to make a straightout contest and give the Liberal victory. He stated: “It is the business of every man to end immediately the dangerous drift toward armament and aggression.”

Sir John Simon made a startling denunciation of Britain’s trend towards another war in his armistice speech tonight. He declared that, though wo condemned as unspeakable barbarity the bombing of towns 12 years ago, wo wore to-day deliberately preparing and practising to do the same thing. Our own War Office was storing up mustard gas. Were wc also sure that wo were not contemplating infamously submarining merchantmen, which wo so vigorously condemned so recently. War must end. Vague aspirations towards peace are useless. A new generation was growing up with a view that war is inevitable.

Viscount Grey, in outspoken comment on Anglo-American naval rivalry, said: “The longer the idea of parity between the British and American fleets continues tho more difficult the situation will grow. It will result in the two nations building against one another, even if they are not doing so now. It is extraordinary to recall that when we framed our naval programmes before the war no account was taken of the United States navy. AVhat reason has arisen since the war to make us regard war against the United States as a contingency?” Miss Ellen Wilkinson, M.P.., declared that people were filled with horror at the fact that tho enormous sum of £115,000,000 was spent annually on Britain’s war services, while the whole of Europe was spending £500,000,000 a year preparing for the next war.

Mr J. H. Thomas, speaking at Derby, said that no-one iu politics was happy about the situation. There were 10,000,000 more armed men to-day than in 1914. Worse still, the warlike spirit was abroad.

A vigorous demand for the nation to drop war talk is found in the editorials of all the newspapers.

AN AMERICAN PROPOSAL,

NATIONS TO BE OSTRACISED. NEW YORK, November 12. Air Newton D. Baker, ex-Sccretnry of War, addressing the annual conference of the World Alliance of International Friendship, sitting at St. Louis, proposed a plan for the United States to ostracise all nations engaged in war by a proclamation from the President and the National Senate that the United States would not insist on neutral trade rights with any nation held by the League to be the aggressor in war. He also proposed a resumption of negotiations to bring the United States into the world court, ; also treaties with other nations, stipulating reciprocal pledges not to make war. The conference recommended the encouragement of national unity in China and opposed discriminatory immigration restrictions in the United States.