FOR PEACE

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 31 May 1927, Page 5

FOR PEACE

REASON AND LAW.

FOR FORCE AND COMPULSION.

AMERICA'S DOCTRINE.

BY CABLE—PRESS ASSOCIATION —COPYRIGHT

Received 10.20 a.m. to-day. WASHINGTON May 30. In a Memorial Day address, President Coolidge -asked, in world affairs, for the substitution of reason and law in place of force and compulsion. He said the Government was attempting to proceed in accordance with these principles in relation with China, Nicaragua and Mexico, and was inviting Britain and Japan to participate in a three-Power naval limitation conference. He intimated that the foreign affairs of the United States, were becoming, more and more important and constituted a field which it was necessary for the Government a.nd people to "give greater attention than now realised.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.

POLICY OF THE GOVERNMENT.

WISHFUL FOR. PEACE

BUT MILITARY FORCES

ESSENTIAL.

Received 10.20 a.m. to-day. WASHINGTON, May 30. President Coolidge spoke at Arlington cemetery during Memorial Day. He outlined the programme which would dictate the action of the United States delegates to the Naval Disarmament Conference at Geneva on June 20. He said : “While we wish for peace everywhere, it is our desire that it should be a peace not imposed by America but a, peace established by each nation for itself. Although we are well aware that in the immediate past, and perhaps even now, there are certain localities where, our citizens would be given over to pillage .and murder but for the presence of our military forces, nevertheless it is the settled" policy of our Government to deiil with other nations, not on the basis of force and compulsion, but on understanding and goodwill. However much we wish to pursue paths of peace, we cannot escape the fact that there are still evil forces in the world. We could no more dispense with military forces than police forces. While we are firmly convinced that it is altogether practical and possible to limit the size of warships by international covenants, to consent to their abolition would be to expose ourselves first to aggression and finally to destruction. We are sufficiently acquainted with human nature to realise that we are oft-times the object of envy; it is to- protect ourselves that we maintain a national defence. We have sufficient reserve resources, so we need not he hasty in asserting our rights, ancl we can afford to let patience be commensurate with our power.”