Page:William Howard Taft - America Can't Quit (1919).djvu/13

 That plan, when completed, is submitted to all the governments. Each government studies it with a view to its own limitations, and its own limitations with respect to the limitations of other countries. It argues out the question, and negotiates, and finally a voluntary agreement is reached. When that voluntary agreement is reached with a limitation for each nation proportionate to its needs, then the countries covenant to keep within that limit for not more than ten years, there being a revision before the end of ten years. Now, if during that time any contingency requires the increase of the limit of any nation, the Council has authority to increase it. That is a means of meeting emergencies. On the other hand, there is a check against disproportionate increase, for that Council acts unanimously; and as we have a member on that Council, no limit can be increased except by our consent.

What is the objection to this? It is said that this will paralyze our arm of defense, subject our homes and firesides and free institutions to destruction, and lay us naked to our enemies. That is eloquent, but there is not a scintilla of fact to sustain it, not a scintilla.

We agree to limit our armament in consideration of every other country limiting its armament. Is not that fair? Instead of meeting the danger there may be from other nations by increasing our armament, we meet it by keeping down the armament of the others under agreement. If two men meet and you take away both revolvers and they go at each other with fists and punch eyes and noses and solar plexuses—isn't that fair? And it has the advantage of there being no mortality.

That is what this plan is. It is a reduction of the armament, so that the armament shall be defensive and not offensive, so it shall contain no temptation to war. Therefore, while we may be said to lay ourselves naked to our enemies, they lay themselves naked to us. In other words, the convention is only an ordinary agreement as to style or latitude in dress—war dress. That is all it is. But this is most important. This whole war in its character of human disaster has come from race for armament. It began away back with Bismarck in the development of Prussia into the German Empire, when he said he would do it by blood and iron. He fought the Danish war and increased his army. He fought the Austrian war and strengthened his army. He fought the French war and then he united the German states into one government under the Empire.