--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Anderson, James H. collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 25 number: 1 published: 1921-11 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'James H. Anderson, "Disarmament and Peace," *Improvement Era* 25, no. 1 (November 1921): 70–73.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2501unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera2501unse start_page: 70 end_page: 73 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1921-11) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2501unse publication_year: 1921 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1921, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Disarmament and Peace Disarmament and Peace By James H. Anderson, Member of the General Board Y. M. M. I. A. The so-called Disarmament Conference called at Washing- ton for November 11, 1921, is a disarmament conference only to the extent of limiting national armaments within a scope that may be decided upon by international agreement. A simple inquiry as to the popular idea of the aim of the conference would be: Does national disarmament or limitation of armament mean world peace, or even an approach thereto? A frequent and seemingly logical response is that men fought as fiercely with clubs and spears as they do with machine guns and gas bombs, that peace is more a question of man's disposition than of his weapons. With the United States, limitation of armament is largely a matter of industry and finance. If there are less battleships, munitions of war, fighting planes, and stupe- fying gases, there is less employment in such manufacture, and proportionately smaller burden upon the taxpayer who pays the bill. Compared with most other nations, the United States is so situated geographically, politically, and numerically as to popu- lation and its character, that it has less need of a great mili- tary and naval establishment than has any other of the great nations. It is plain, therefore, that the United States is in a po- sition better than any other of the great nations to urge limita- tion of armament to the fullest extent that is judicious — and that, too, from the self-interest of its people, whose defense from outward aggression is second to the prosperity within. But there is France — ever suspicious of Germany, however the latter may be humiliated — ever fearful of a Russo-German entente and its compelling force — ever dubious of Italy, whose interests frequently are antagonistic to those of the French na- tion. France will not, can not, reduce land-armament; that is too definite for discussion. Not less so is the case of Great Britain respecting naval armament. Britain's navy is the bulwark of her national life, her only weapon of defense from external aggression — this great- est of colonizing nations, with her every frontier on the sea, ex- cepting only her American and Chinese borders, where peace- able peoples dwell. Britain must and will maintain a powerful navy. DISARMAMENT AND PEACE 71 Japan knows the situation with France and Great Britain to be as here stated. There is no sentiment about it — just steel- cold fact. With her 78,000,000 population, in a smaller area than that of several of the states in the American Union, Japan must expand or starve. The mainland of Asia is her only hope of expansion, and her implements for that development are land, sea and air, war machinery, idle or active. The Jap does not see where he can disarm and live. The international situation therefore resolves itself to this: Limitation of the newer and more expensive methods of war- fare, viz.: the air service and the use of irritating gases and powerful explosives. This possible restriction is upon the most costly, dangerous and terrifying agencies yet produced — air- planes, gases and high explosives, yet these cover the most at- tractive field now known for experiment, investigation and in- vention. This class of armament may be checked by inter- national agreement, just as the use of dumdum bullets was made taboo; and the method of limitation is open to the con- ference. In this there is hope for a modification of warlike con- ditions which now prevail and which threaten the future, es- pecially as to the United States; although the period of fruition for that hope may not yet be told. This disarmament confer- ence may fix a limit on new and costly armament, and declare some fundamental principles which may be worked out in de- tail in further conferences. This work involves the stupendous task of revising, and in many respects changing, the whole code of international law. Such a labor will occupy months, or even years. It will require diplomatic skill, legal knowledge, pa- tience, care and judgment of a superior order, and a sincere de- sire for human harmony. Nothing less will suffice. As for Utah, this state is listed for an important part in the Washington conference. Secretary of State Hughes has selected J. Reuben Clark, of Utah, to assist the American State Depart- ment in the preparation of matters on the limitation of arma- ments and Far East problems from an international aspect, for the conference; this deals with both fundamentals and details.* * * * The selection of a Utah man for the responsible position gives to this state a special interest in the conference and its outcome; * * * and Utah's people are devoted to real, genuine peace among men. In this whole great problem, however, there is one dom- inant and almost controlling element. That is the human equa- tion. The desire to quarrel seems more pointed and persistent *Some years ago an extended sketch of Mr. Clark appeared in the Era. He is about 50 years of age. His parents reside in Grantsville and his own family in Salt Lake City.— Editors. 72 IMPROVEMENT ERA among certain classes of the people in every nation now than it was immediately prior to the opening of the great war, in 1914. The major portion of Europe is quarreling — eastern Europe and western Asia are in actual warfare. India, China and northern Africa are not exempt. Then the religious question comes in, and now is almost rending the foremost European power — a nation whose language and literature is the same as our own, and from which we are not entirely disconnected. It is unwise to close our eyes to certain interesting facts. Three and a half years ago — February 22, 1918 — at a great meet- ing in Philadelphia, Cardinal Gibbons, chief representative of the Romish church in America, introduced and advocated in a powerful speech a resolution adopted there, demanding inde- pendence for Ireland. Of that occasion a present member of the British cabinet declared, "It is the first gun openly fired by the Roman Catholic church in a campaign for the dismemberment of Protestant Great Britain." The thought does not stop there. In an announcement recently made by one of the most distin- guished representatives of the Protestant Episcopal church, and published in the English-speaking press throughout the world on October 1, 1921, Dr. R. J. Campbell, vicar of Christ Church, Westminster, London, made this public statement on a burning question: "Even the fullest concession of Sinn Fein demands by the British government never will make Ireland a friend of England. The Roman Catholic influence is too strong, and that influence aims at destroying the influence of England as the greatest Protestant power in the world." This, in the circum- stances, was almost an official utterance. It expresses the con- tinued and abiding conviction of the major portion of the great Anglican church membership in Great Britain and throughout the world — a deep and intense religious conviction for which men and peoples will fight and die. The issue thus presented, in connection with disturbed conditions hereinbefore named, is no harbinger of world peace, or even European harmony. Yet we must not despair of achieving the good, if only step by step. Leading minds in every land are aiming for the desirable outcome. The world's noblest elements are working for the time when No strife shall rage, nor hostile feuds Disturb those peaceful years; To plowshares men shall beat their swords— To pruning hooks their spears; No longer host encountering host Shall crowds of slain deplore; They'll hang the trumpet in the hall, And study war no more." Thoughtful men and women everywhere are hoping and looking for world peace. At present they seem to be trying DISARMAMENT AND PEACE 73 every method of attaining that end, except the only means that ever has made certain promise of success — conformity with the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, revealed on both of the world's great hemispheres, and now only superficially sought for, save by comparatively few. But the longing, reaching, for the better day, must in each effort bear results in carrying us nearer to the goal, and though it may be through years of anxious effort and fiery trials, draw men to the sheltering wing of the Divine Providence which has declared, The rays that shine from Zion's hill Shall lighten every land; The King who reigns in Salem's towers Shall all the world command.