The Commoner
DECEMBER, 1921
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United States Eeacfs
Again
The United States again takes the lead. Gen
eral Pershing, speaking for the American Advlsr'
ory Group, recommends to the American dele
gates the exclusion of all chemicals in warfare.
It is intimated that this does not represent a
unanimous opinion among high military author
ities, but it will appeal to common sense and to
common humanity While war at its best is lit
tle better than war at its worst, every friend
of peace will go just as .far as possible towards
suppressing brutality and this means the elimina
tion, step by step, of everything which has for
its purpose the destruction of life. It is morti
fying to the American conscience to have to ad
mit that this nation's vote was cast in the last
Hague Conference against the exclusion of
poisonous gas. Captain Mahan, one of 'the high
est naval authorities, controlled the policy oPthe
American delegation and threw the influence of
this nation upon the side of this method of war
faro. The American boys who fcuffered the tor
ture that poisonous gas inflicts will And little
comfort in the thought that their nation shared
responsibility for its continued use.
It may be assured that the American dele
gates have already been consulted and that they
will soon propose this prohibition to the confer
ence and it is also safe to predict that the con
ference will adopt the suggestion. Thus a new
victory will be won for peace.
The magnitude of this revolution in methods
of warfare will be better understood when it is
remembered that chemical combinations have
contributed the most deadly additions made in
recent years to the instruments of war. The
titanic power, or better the Satanic power, of
these new inventions have tremendously in
creased the horrors of the battlefield. The new
, gases and liquids not only "spread death among
combatants, but, when they get beyond control,
are as destructive among- non-combatants. If,
as General Sherman said, war was hell sixty
years ago, by what term can its wickedness be
described today!
By all means exclude as much of the cruelty
of war as possible the more the better, and at
once. The Advisory .Bpard should be applauded'
for giving this advice; General Fershing will not
suffer as a military man for this contribution
toward the outlawing of barbarous and inhuman
methods. . 'W. J. BRYAN.
1
CHINA GAINING RECOGNITION
The agreement, reached by the Nine Powers
to give up postal privileges in China will greatly
delight the Chinese people and greatly encourage
the government a't Pekin. She presence of post
offices conducted by foreign governments has
been more than mortification; it has been a
real injury to thq, home government. China has
had competitors in a matter which in other
countries is a government monopoly. The agree
ment to, withdraw these postal privileges is in
harmony with the' spirit of this Conference; it is
additional proof 'that the key-note struck by
Secretary Bughes on the first day of the session
is to run through the entire proceedings.
While China is securing numerous concessions
it must "be, remembered, that she had a large
number df grievances.
One of the most obnoxious limitations against
which shfc protests is the restriction placed upon
her custom duties. One of her early treaties
restrains her from levying a tariff of more than
5 per cent on imports. Of course, she never en
tered into any such treaty voluntarily no na
tion would of her own volition make any such
surrender of her taxing power. As soon as this
treaty was published, all the other nations, great
and small, claimed the same privilege under "the
most favored nation clause" That is, they de
manded the same tariff concessions' given to the
most favored nations. This provision in her
treaties has greatly hampered China in the rais
ing of revenues and has made it difficult for her
to secure the "money necessary to satisfy cred
itors and to pay interest on obligations'.
If the spirit thus far manifested continues to
uominate the Conference, there will he a modi
fication of this restriction. In fact, China' may
expect a removal of all discriminations that in
terfere with her legitimate aspirations.
a he question of land armaments seems to bo
m a state of suspended animation. It awaits
news from Germany, or the announcement of
some form of assurance' which will allay the
tears of France. ' '
The association of nations plan grows apace.
A'S!t0PmiSul hHerland' , wh b close to the
American Delegation, explains that the form, of
SSGSl Sn fraVOred iB not ,n lino With th0OIcmove
fmi! LeaSU0, of Nations. It does not con
template the exercise of force; the finding, if
such there be, will not be binding on the Satfin"
Its influence will be moral rather than physical.
Its. value will be measured by tho extent to
which the Conference generates. the world dis-
position towards peace, mentioned by Secretary
Hughes.
iTue "treaties neetiated by tho United States
with thirty nations were built upon the same
plan. They provided for tho investigation of
ALL questions of every kind of character that
defied diplomatic settlement and- they pledged
the nations to a year's time for investigation
and report. But they expressly reserved to the
contracting parties the right of independent ac
tion at the conclusion of the investigation. This
reservation of independent action was omitted
from the Covenant of the League of Nations. Ar
ticle 10, which was substituted for this reserva
tion was largely responsible for the opposition
to the Covenant as presented. President Hard
ing could hardly be expected to propose a plan
containing any provision resembling Article 10
but he can, with entire consistency, offer a plan
in harmony with the thirty treaties, because the
Senate unanimously endorsed thcBe treaties. The
tbty treaty idoii offers tho line of least resist
ance and is consistent with tho general purposes
of the Conference. W. J. BRYAN.
EXPERTS UNDER DIRECTION
The experts of the United States and Great
Britain seem to think that the naval facts sup
port the sixty per cent proportion offered to
Japan, but the naval experts of Japan seem to
arrive at a different conclusion; in their judg
ment naval facts seem to support a seventy per
cent proportion. The world should not be
alarmed at a failure of experts to agree. It is
a poor controversy that cannot find experts to
support both sides. In an insanity trial the
alienists are usually divided. One group see in
sanity in every movement of the accused; the
other group see conclusive proof that the ac
cused was rational when the deed was done.
Even health experts do not always agree. When
Chicago wanted to send her sewerage down the
Canal and through the Illinois river into the
Mississippi, St. Louis objected, St. Louis ex
perts showed that the health of St, Louis' was.
in danger, while the experts from Chicago
demonstrated that the flowing water pur,ifi.ed it
self before it reached St. Louis, and some in
sisted that the Mississippi river was even im
proved. Don't bother about the experts. Thp important
question is what is desired by the governments
that employ the experts. Let the governments
- agree to what is DESIRED, and the experts can
got together and show how it can be accomplish-
'ed most easily and most quickly.
What a thing discussion is especially in the
open. If Secretary Hughes had confidentially
communicated his disarmament proposition to'
the other' powers and they had made private
answer the world w,ould still be in darkness and .
in doubt as to the outcome of the conference,
but an open statement to thoworld brought an
immediate response, and the world turned abou
and faced toward peace. It used to be that
great crowds gathered to witness the launching
of a now battleship. As the "most destructive
craft ever built" (as each now ship was de
scribed) plunged into the water for the first
time a shout of joy went up from tho watching
multitude. What a change has taken place!
They will soon begin tho scrapping of battle
ships and larger crowds will' assemble and the
shouts will be louder still when the first ham
mer's blow announces that the smashing has
commenced. The pathway that leads from the
lowest plane to ' which man can fall up to the
highest plane to which man may rise is thronged
with travelers, some" ascending, some descending.
The question we ask is not just where the
traveler is, but in what direction he is going.
Those who are starting from the bottom will
some day meet and pass those Who are starting
from the top. So there is a pathway leading
from the abyss of war to the summit of peace.
The question is not so much just where a na
tion is on that incline, but whether it is ascend
ing or descending. The world descended until It
could look down into the abyss of universal
bankruptcy. It seems to be turning and this
conference will mark a change in direction. The-
' conTeJeScI deliberations will not take the wdrld
?n th ton but it seems now certain that the
upward Progress will be great enough to make
Tworld rejoice in tho belief that war will be put
Si fit. road to ultimate extinction
$ Lessons in Im
; perialism ,
The arms conforonco has given tho delegates
and foroign newspaper men a chanco to become
acquainted with tho Amorican attitude on inter
national questions. Our visitors soo a nation
that regards world peace as not only possible,
but very desirable. Thoy observe no evidence
of an armed force. While thoy will soo more
men in uniform in Washington than anywhere
else, thoy are not numerous oven in tho nation's
capital, and their mannors do not impress the
obsorvor with tho idoa that thoy play a promi
nent part in the nation. Outside of Washing
ton tho visitors scarcely seo a soidior, and they
hoar very little of tho things that pertain to-war
They are returning homo with a vision of what
is possible when tho government Is in the hands
of tho 'masses and roceivos Its inspiration from
thoso who produce the wealth of tho richest na
tion in the world.
The people of tho United States are also learn
ing something, and what thoy learn will tend to
increase their devotion to peace and their op
position to anythmg imperialistic. They seo
that all tho questions that give any trouble at
tho conference grow out of Imperialism. It ia
only whore tho doctrine of self determination, so
insistently recommended by President Wilson,
is ignorod that troublo arises. Although tho
conference has been in session less than a
month, outlying possessions nnd outlying com
mercial interests have already twice clouded tho
skies. Groat Britain and Prance, who wero
mutually dependent upon each other in tho rocont
war, have found themselves at outs not a seri
ous altercation, but enough to indicate graver
possibilities. Then there was a flare-up between
France and Italy not fatal to friendship, but Ir
ritating. The acute questions of the Orient grow
out of spheres of influence forced upon weaker
nations and tho occupancy of territory which
must bo hold, if at all, by force. America finds
that there is one tree in tho garden, the fruit of
which is forbidden, if the nation would avoid In-'
ternational complication, and that tree is imperi
alism Because our people rtre increasingly Im
pressed with the dangers that follow in the waku
of imperialism thoy are increasingly oppdscd to
any sort of alliance that will make us share, In
an armed way, in the controversies that cbntinu-'
ally arise because of conflicting financial inter-
ests. The Association of Nations proposed by
President Harding will contain no provision that
will involvo ug in other peoples' quarrels, unless
our-.congross, acting with entire freedom, shll
consider it a proper cause for declaration of war.'
Tho conference aside from its direct results,
which now promise to be very great, will im
press two lessons one upon tho visitors ami on a
upon this country. Thoso who-come from abroad!
will seo -what a nation can bo when it contents
itself with the development of its own country, '
and our people will learn what troubles come
when a foreign government throws the net 6f its
authority over a people who aro helpless " '(or :
supposed helpless), as a fowler throws a' net over
birds. W. J. BRYAN.
. i . .1
THE FULLNESS OP TIME ,
,
The Bible phrase, "The fullness of time,.'' ex-
tends, into the field of politics and conveys., a' i
very important idea. Reforms do not come1 until '
the time is RIPE for them, just as fruit can
not be gathered until, it 1s matufed. The ques
tion may be asked, "Why did not the Paris Con
ference do tho work that this Conference Is do-
Ing?" Simply because it was held In the midst
of the war harvest. The fruits of peace wero
not then ripe. One side" was victorious and the
minds, of those who led the triumphant hosts
wore laboring under the , pressure of the mem
ories of that awful struggle. Bloodstains could
be seen everywhere and tears were still flow
ing. TJie gaping wounds made by the great con
flict still stirred the hearts of thoe who partici
pated in the conference and the vanquishid wore
In no better mood for the consideration of the
problems that came with peace. Even In Amer
ica, the war left an aftermath of militarism that
found expression in an attempt to fasten upon
this nation a system of universal compulsory mili
tary training that would have cost horrible
nightmare seven hundred millions of dollars a
year.
But all Is changed now; the reaction against
war is In full swing. Those who breathe threat
enings and slaughter have retired Into the back
ground and the evangels of a better day are ap
pearing in all lands. When men are oxclted,
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