American Notes of the Week
(By Cable)
DISARMAMENT.
Developments in the Disarmament discussions leave no doubt in the mind of the American public as to the determina- tion of statesmen in both Washington and London to press forward by every means in their power toward a practicable solution. Less confidence, however, is felt in the experts, whose pessimism as to the feasibility of finding a " yardstick " is taken to task. The Chicago Daily News remarks that "the way to reduce armaments is to reduce them, not to conjure up far- fetched reasons for rejecting every reduction proposal." Here and there the inevitable adverse criticism of the whole proceed- ing is heard. The ultra-chauvinistic Washington Post complains, surprisingly enough, at what it conceives to be a "maze of unnecessary mystery" over the "yardstick" , formula, the question of freedom of the seas, and the whole "general plan of procedure." The Chicago Tribune issues a warning against " our ingenuous faith in treaties and formulas." More liberal opinion is reflected in the New York World's plea for an extension of the principle of undefended frontiers, which has worked so effectively in Canadian-American history. That principle means, the World says, "that the two Governments will agree not to measure the strength of their armaments against one another. Secretary Stimson's insistence upon the importance of Naval parity as "one of the longest steps possible" toward a settlement typified the "middle of the road " opinion, and finds wide acceptance.
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