Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-03-31
TREATY. PLAN HITCH
Arbitration Pact With Great
Britain Not Drawn Up.
NO INITIAL STEPS TAKEN
Anglo-Japanese Alliance Seems to
Stand in the Way.
U. S. MUST MAKE PROPOSAL
Highest Officials Here Believe Nation
Would Gain Nothing by Nego-
tiating Agreement.
NO INITIAL STEPS TAKEN
U. S. MUST MAKE PROPOSAL

The sudden lull in the proposed arbi-
| tration treaty plan between the United
States and Great Britain has not escaped
attention among those who follow the
doings of the administration In spite
OF all reports to the contrary, Secretary
Knox, who attended the regular cabinet
| meeting today, is not drafting an arbi-
| office is not doing anything in that di-
rection. ----'-
The administration, as represented by
the State Department, is not insensibIe
of the mighty public impulse toward
disarmament, or, at least, in favor of
arbitration. If the only factors Of the
situation were Great Britain and the
United States. II both countries were
free to make peace compact and the
signatures of both would be worth the
paper they were written on, the world
| Nigh we'll congratulate itself upon prog
| ress, but with all the acclaim with which
the heralds of the dove Of peace have been
greeted, it Is noteworthy that no pro-
posal for a treaty Of arbitration has
| come from Great Britain. ;a,,r*.v.
Mr.. Bryce, the British ambassador, has
| not visited the White House to notify
President Taft that his government has
welcomed the suggestion Of the President
that an arbitration treaty be negotiated.
No special envoy from England has
crossed the water on a like mission The
British government is silent amid all the
popular clamor. The United States gov
ernment has made no move toward ar
| ranging for treaty negotiations, nor is It
expected to do so.
Not Question Of Initiative.
The question that holds the two coun-
| tries apart on the great issue of perma-
nent peace Is not one Of mere initiative,
OF which shall be first or last to make
the first move. The deadly significance
| Of the impasse which exists is that Great
| Britain apparently does not dare to pro-
pose arbitration to the United States Or,
to state the situation with more exact
| ness. she is withheld by the AngIo-Jap-
anese alliance Of August, 1905, from tax
| ing the initiative. The inference is un-
avoidable that II an arbitration covering
all possible subjects of dispute Is to be
proposed the United States must make
| the proposal
Why does not the American govern
ment do this? Why should it not? The
| answer Is that In the opinion OF the high
est official authorities in WASHINGTON the
United States would gain nothing for the
peace of the world by negotiating an arbi-
tration treaty with England while the
Anglo-Japanese alliance exists. This is
| an offensive and defensive alliance for
| q period OF ten years. ending in 1915. 1t
provides, in brief. that should either coun-
| try suffer unprovoked attack from a
| third power 1t would be the duty Of the
other to come to its rescue: nor would the
position in which England has thus placed
| herself with respect to Japan be changed
| in the slightest degree by an arbitration
| treaty with the United States. Suppose.
| for example. that Japan were attacked by
Russia? Great Britain would be COM
| PEELED to 60 to Japan's aid, even though
the United States were in no way con-
| cerned with the quarrel. Suppose, on the
! CONTINUED on Second Psge.5