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Show I HARDING IS TO BE TESTED In Washington the one subject of out-H out-H standing importance continues to be dis-H dis-H armament. This is the statement of the H newspaper correspondent, one of whom H makes this comment: H 'It will be found to be the general tes- timony of the returning politicians, first, H that Harding in calling the disarmament H conference did the most popular thing H imaginable; and, second, that the con-H con-H ference, having been called, moist not H fail. If the conference should meet and H talk and go away again with nothing ac- complished, the result would be a shak-H shak-H ing1 of public confidence which would go H further than merely to affect President H Harding personally. A second failure now, following what the public regards as the failure of the peace conference at Paris, would "result in a most disturbing j H flack of faith in public men and govern- ments generally., H 'It is the general feeling that if at the coming conference America should fail to H achieve reduction of, disarmament by mu- tual agreement, then the public would WL . take matters into heir own hands and would insist that America reduce her H . disaraiament alone, regardless of agree- ments with other nations. This insistence H would take the form of pressure on con-M con-M gress to refuse to continue to vote large appropriations for annament." H The last statement may be only a per- sonal point of view, America would not be justified in disarming if Japan and k Great Britain did not join in the move-M move-M ment. Bi No doubt President ' Harding would lose )restige if he failed to make a suc-H suc-H cess of his conference, and yet, if his ef-H ef-H forts are backed by a firm resolve to ac- ' complish his purpose, why should he be H j condemned because others cannot be drawn into an agreement limiting arma-M arma-M ments? H There are two lines of thought claim- j ing a majority of the people of this coun- j try. One is that wars are inevitable and B only an ill-advised nation proceeds on the theory of peace on earth. The other H holds to the conviction that heavy arma-H arma-H ments develop a desire for war and that j a settlement of disputes is attainable H without resorting to arms. H If all nations were to disarm tomor- Hj row the power to dominate would rest H with the countries having the greatest H machine plants capable of being convert j ed into machinery of war. America, there H fore, can well afford to subscribe to any H form of disarmament which leaves its in- " dustrial plants to be transformed over H night into machines of war. m With disarmament should come a world M court in which international disputes M may be aired, opinions given and judge- H ments rendered, in order to defer the M forces of war. Ogden Standard-Exain- H iner. |