The Disarmament Conference

New Zealand Tablet, 27 October 1921, Page 37

The Disarmament Conference

At last the true status, financial and otherwise, of modern nations is penetrating the exceedingly dense and stupid politicians of the world (says the Fortnightly Review, N.Y.). History has some illuminating examples of kings and queens who were far out of step with the people they supposedly ruled, and tradition has it that Marie Antoinette during the crisis of the pre-Revolution days, asked her Minister, who reported that the people were clamoring for bread, why they did not eat cake. Whether true or not, this story represents the popular view of the r\»yal understanding of the people's condition. And yet it is hard to believe that modern politicians ever had an equal in their misjudgments of popular endurance. We have daily evidence all about us that the modern Minister, Premier, King, op^-President is wholly out of touch with the true conditions. • It is not a little surprising, then, that our own President Harding has called for November 11 a Conference on Disarmament, to be attended by the five Great Powers of the modern world. Great Britain, France, Italy, Japan, and the United States are to be represented at this conclave designed to bring forth a plan which will somehow do away with the foolish race in armaments and even perhaps lead to a sane proposal regarding the Far Eastern question, which is destined to play so important a part in the future of the Western world. * . Much has been made of this move on the part of Mr. Harding, who is evidently assaying a new role.. The question that immediately presents itself to a much disillusioned world is the efficacy of the proposed Conference. "Will it bring forth results?" is the question on every lip. It is almost impossible to believe that the present disillusioned generation places the slightest confidence in the proposed Conference. How could it be otherwise, if we but consider that the men who are to represent these nations at the Conference have isolated, or helped keep in a state of isolation, the greater portion of Europe and Western Asia. Is it possible that the thieves who waylaid and looted a powerful people like the Germans and who are starving the Russians, can agree among themselves that they will lay aside their weapons and cease further depredations? In other words, will those who are by tradition, education, and experience militaristically inclined, agree to disarm? Perhaps the most striking confirmation of the attitude of those who are pessimistic about the result lies in the fact that the industrial nations of the present day, operating under the capitalistic regime, are continually .at war. . Strangely enough people do not seem to consider it in this yet it is a fact which continually stares us in , the face. Modern economic warfare has its fatalities as great .-a# perhaps even greater- than, modern battlefields. Why the widespread unemployment throughout America and Europe if not, in great part at least, owing to our \present scheme of international trade, which has been seriously tampered with by the bungling politicians at Versailles and subsequently in their respective home offices As long as economic" warfare is essentially inherent in modern trade, so long will it be necessary for governments to keep their peoples in arms. Disarmament means more than a gathering of politicians and the passing of some well-worded resolutions. It means, in the first place, the education of the masses to the point of their attaining an entirely different worldview. After all, the calibre' of the political leaders is indicative of the intellectual and moral calibre of the people whom they represent. Disarmament means, secondly, a Christian attitude of mutual justice and charity among nations, such as the Holy Father has been pleading for of late. Disarmament means, thirdly, the throwing off of the yoke of international Capitalism with its economic wars, tariff barriers, "foreign interests," over-production, new markets; and unbridled competition. If our readers wish to believe, after a careful consideration of the above points, that the proposed conference will bring results sufficient to justify the fares of the visiting delegates, they will be doing so at their own risk. For our part ; we can see nothing but a better acquaintance among thieves. \ - A " • :