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Show TEXT OF HARDING'S ADDRESS AT CLOSING SESSION OF CONFERENCE ON ARMAMENT 1 WASHINGTON. Feb. 6. (By The i ! Associated Itojs i- -Th" address I made hy President Harding at the I concluding session today of the arm I conference follows I "Mr. Chairman and Members of th H Conference: H "Nearly three months ago It was H in privilege lo utter to you slncsresl H words ot welcome to the capital of H our republic, to suggest the spirit In H which JTOU were Invited, nn.l to lntl- H mate the atmosphere in which you H were asked to confer. In p v. iy gen- H eral way. perhups. I ventured to ex- H press a hope for the things toward which our aspirations led us. H "Today It Is my greHter privilege, and even greater pleasure to come to H make acknowledgement It ! one of :he supremo compensations of life to contemplate a worth-while accom- fl v pllshmont. : ,-It cannot bo other than seemly for ! nu- as the only chief of government mo circumstanced a to be able to nd- dress the conference, to speak con-fl con-fl gratulations and to offer the thanks ,,f our nation, our people: perhaps i ; dare volunteer to utter them for the I I world My own gratification is beyond i I my capacity to express. QBE VT At Ml l-V EMEM ! "This conference baa wrought a truly great achievement. It Is hSS- ri ardous sometimes to speak In super- latlvcs, and I will be "restrained. But, ; I will auy. with ever) Onfldem . that the faith plighted hero today. k pi in ' national honor, will mark the begln- ning of a new and better epoch in hu-man hu-man progress. ' Stripped to the simplest fact what is the spectacle w hlch has Inspired a new hope for the world, gathered about this table nine groat nations of H- the earth not all, to be sure, but those most directly concerned with the problems at hand have met and have conferred on questions of great im- B port, and common concern, on proi- loms menacing th fr peaceful rela-tlonshlp, rela-tlonshlp, on burdens threatening a common peril. In the revealing light Hi ) of the public opinion of the world, without surrender of sovereignty, without Impaired nationality fended national pride, a solution has H been found in unanimity and today'! adjournment la marked by rej lclng In the things accomplished. If the world has hungered for new assurance It may feast ut the banquet which the conference has sprc id PEOPJLiE GRATIFIED. "I am sure the people jf the I'nlted States are supremely gratified and yet there is scant appreciation how mar-velously mar-velously you have wrought. When the days were dragging and agreements were delayed, when there were ob-rtacies ob-rtacies within and hindrances uith-out. uith-out. few stopped to realize that here was a conference of sovereign powers where unanimous agreement could be made the rule. Majorities could not decide without Impinging national rights. There were no victors to H command, no vanquished to yield. All had voluntarily to agree In translating the conscience of our civilization and give concrete expression to world opinion. "And you have agreed in spite of difficulties and the agreements are proclaimed to the world. N' new standards of national honor have been sought, but the Indictments of na-tional na-tional dishonor have been drawn and the world is ready to proclaim the ( j pdiousness of perfidy or Infamy. XO M: OONCEPTIOS "It is not pretended that the pursuit of peace and the limitations of arnia- ment are new conceits, or that the conference in a new conception elthi r In settlement of wur or In writing the onsclonoe of International relatlon--ship. Indeed, it is not new to have met In the realization of war's sn- I'!' p. Ions are examples of the one. the -onferenco ot Vienna, of Berlin, of Versailles, are outstanding instances oi tho other. l. i.i Di s TO GERMANY "The Hague conventions were defeated de-feated by the antagonism of one Strong power whoB' Indisposition to co-operato and sustain led to one of the supreme tragedies which have come to national attention. Vienna and Berlin sought peace founded on the Injustices of war and sowed the seeds of future conflict, and hatred was armed where confidence was stifled It h fair to say that human progress. prog-ress. th- growing Intlmacv of International Interna-tional relationship developed communication com-munication and transportation at-tended at-tended hy a directing world opinion. hi' set the stage more favorably here. You have met in thut culm deliberation and that determined resolution res-olution which have made s just psaoei In righteous relationships, its own best Suai.inij. I "It has been the fortune of tnli conference tO sit In n day far enouph ninoved from war's blttcrm s, yel near enough to war s horrors, to pain the benefit of both the hatred of war and the yearning for peace. Too oft-; en, heretofore, the decades following auch gatherings have ben marked by the difficult undoing of th ir decisions But your achievement is supreme because be-cause no seed of conflict has been sown, no reaction in regret or resentment resent-ment ever can Justify resort lo arms ATMOSPHERE LE 1RED ' It little matters what we appraise as the outstanding accomplishing' Any one of them alone would have justified 'he conference. But the whob-achievement whob-achievement so cleared the atmosphere atmos-phere that It will seem like breathing the refreshing air of a new morn of promise, "You have written the lirst deliberate deliber-ate and effective expression of great powers In the consciousness of peace. Ol war s otter futility, and challenged the sanctity of competitive preparation prepara-tion for each other's destruction. You have h ilt. d folly anil lifted burdens and revealed to the world that the one sure way to recover from the sorrow and ruin and staggering Obligations of world war Is to end the strif- in preparation pre-paration for more of it, and turn human hu-man energies to the constructlveness of peace. mvil OT Alto.MIN Bl.K "N'ol a'.l tiii' world Is y. t tranquil-Ilsed, tranquil-Ilsed, But here is the example, to lin.bue with n-w hop who dw"U In apprcnfiisioii. j i mis Lmuic onm; un derstandlnR and understanding brands armed conflict a abominable in the eyes of enlightened civilization. "I once believed in armed prepar-sdnesa prepar-sdnesa I advocated It. But I have come now to believe there Is better preparedness In a public mind and a World opinion made ready to grant justice precisely as it exacts it. "And juetl -e is bPtter served In conference con-ference peaco than in conflict with arms. "How simple It all has been. When you met here twelve weeks uku, there w u not a committment, not an obligation obliga-tion except that which each delegation delega-tion own to the government commissioning commis-sioning It. But human service was .1 1 1 1 ii tj. world conscience was Impelling Impell-ing and world opinion directing SO INVOLVEMENTS "No intrigue, no offensive or defen-Islve defen-Islve alliances, no Involvements hav wrought your agreements, but reasoning reason-ing with each other to common understanding un-derstanding has made new relationships relation-ships among governments and peoples, new securities for peace and new opportunities op-portunities for achievement and attending at-tending happiness. I. "Here have been established the contracts of reason, here has come the Inevitable understanding of face to face and exchange when passion does not Inflame. The very atmosphere atmos-phere shamed national self lshn.ss into in-to retreat Viewpoints were exchanged. differences composed, and you came to understand how common, after all. are human aspirations; how alike, In-! deed, and how easily reconcilable are our national aspirations; how sane and simple and satisfying to seek the rc-j latlondhlpn of p -n . and secnrit "When you first met. I told you Of our America's thought to neek ISSS armament and none of war; that WS SOOgbl nothing which is another's nnd we were unafraid) but that wo Wish-fid Wish-fid to Join you In doing that finer and nobler thing Whloh no nation c:in do alone. We rejoice In the accompusn-l Iment. VT, niMBY Pl'RMVMM "It mav be that the naval holiday I I. . , ...in . .i miili the1 treaties, but I do not helb ve It. ThOSt of us who live another decade are I inor.' Ilkoly to witness a growth Of public opinion, strengthened b- the new exporlence, which will make nations na-tions more concerned to living to the fulfillment of (Sods high Intent, than with agencies of warfare and destruction. destruc-tion. Hnce this conference of nations has pointed with unanimity to the way of peace today, like conferen. eR In the future, under appropriate condition" and with alms hoth well conceived and i definite, may Illumine the highways land bVWaya Of human activity. The ' torches of understanding have been lighted and they ought tO glow and encircle en-circle the globe. I "Again, gentlemen of the conference, 'congratulations aul gratitude of the I'nlted Slates; to Belgium, to the British Brit-ish empire, to China, to France to Bah, tO Japan, to The Netherlands, and to Portugal I can wish nn more than the same leennK. man nnwii SXPSrlence, Of honorable and honored-contribution honored-contribution to happv human advancement, advance-ment, and a new sense of security in the righteous pursuits of pence and all attending good fortune. w ifUJ) is EIEAliTENI l "From our own deb gates I have known from time to time of your activities, ac-tivities, and of the spirit of conciliation concili-ation and adjustment and the cheering cheer-ing readiness of all of you to strive for thut unanimity so essential to accomplishment. ac-complishment. Without It there would have been failure; with It you have heartened the world. Vnd I know our guests will pardon par-don me while I make greatful acknowledgement acknow-ledgement to the American delegation to you Mr. Secretary Hughes, to you. Senator Lodge; to you. Senator L'nder-wood; L'nder-wood; to you Mr. Root; to all of us, I for your able and splendid and hlgh-h hlgh-h purp.e-.d and untiring endeavors in behalf f our government and our people, peo-ple, and to your excellent advisory committee, which gave to you so dependable de-pendable a reflex of that American people public opinion which charts the course of this republic. it la SO fine, so gratlfjlng. so reassuring, re-assuring, so full of promise that above thl murmurJngs of a world of sorrow not vet silenced. above the groans whi' h come of excessive burdens not lifted, but to be llghtenea. abovo the discouragements of a world yet struggling to find itself after surpassing surpass-ing upheaval, there Is the note of rejoicing re-joicing which Is not alone ours or ours or all of u. but cornes from the hearts of men of all the world." |