which had to decide upon such claims.


And then armies. If, for example, Germany should be required to
reduce her army by 100,000 men, by how many men must the other
powers diminish their armies? Notwithstanding all the pacific
assurances which, thank God, are being given everywhere, every
nation would reply to me at any preliminary inquiry that it claims
that position in the world which corresponds with the sum of its
national power, that the strength of its defensive forces must be
adapted to this claim. At any rate, I would give no other reply for
Germany. I should be touching the honor and national sentiment of
any other people if I expected any other statement from it.

Question of Control.

Every attempt at international disarmament must break down on the
question of control, which is absolutely impracticable. A classic
example of that is afforded by Prussia when overthrown by Napoleon.
Her army was to be limited to 45,000 men, but her patriotism,
notwithstanding the most ruthless application of every means of
control, managed to raise an army four times as large. The question
of disarmament is insoluble so long as men are men and States are
States.

In the course of the debate reference has been made to the recent
utterances of the British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs in
the House of Commons on the disarmament question. The English
Minister gave expression to the idea that a reciprocal exchange of
information concerning the naval construction of both countries