The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1921-11-21

misleading the sign post will be laid'
at ones door, but do not believe that
any long chance Is being taken in
making the prediction that before long
Great Britain and Japan will find a
way to cut the tie that binds, and to
do it without leaving any outward evil
dence that either party to the pact
harDors resentment because of it's
fate. E .&s~&
Of international relations here in
Washington for some time that the
treaty between Great Britain and
Japan is the cause Of much misunder-
standing and of Il good deal of suspi-
clon In the United States Of America.
As an aftermath OF the conference on
the limitation Of ornaments and Far
East problems, it seems to the writer,
from the general trend of things, that
it IS safe to predict the treaty Of I'M
derstanding and arrangement between
the British and the Japanese will go
the way that some other treaties have
gone in the past.
Lord Northcliffe Outspoken.
1t seems hardly necessary to dwell
upon the benefits which would accrue
in the field of relations between the
two great Engish-speaking powers if
the treaty should become nonexistent.
1t is possible that nothing in the pact,
even in remote way, imperils the flu
ture safety Of the United States, but
there are students of situations here
who believe that entire accord of Dip
lomatic relations between Uncle Sam
and John Bull cannot come until the
treaty is no longer an issue. The
sound belief is that the pact is to go.
Lord Northclitfe is newspaper
owner who has a reportorial instinct.
He has been saying things in Japan.
Chief among the things voiced was
that the AngloJapanese alliance "has
outrun it's usefulness
Lord Northciffe and Lloyd George
are not entirely friendly. as the world
knows, but if the British premier were
asked today if his dearest foe proper
~ had scented 4 choice bit of coming
news, he probably would answer
yes" if he answered at all.
Naturally enough, nothing much is
being said, in Washington about the
possibilities of the abrogation of the
written understanding between Great
Britain and Japan. The British office
here is much more reticent about mat
iS Tf nt IF
fees OF the governments here repre-
scented. Naturally enough, also, the
British do not care to talk, in advance
at least, upon what is more or less of
a painful subject. The alliance, as an
alliance, probably can have no open
conference, but eventually it will be
found that Great Britain and ia
pan, each without grimace. will allow
the treaty Of understanding to pass
into the realms of the have-beens.
Watson's Charges Unbelievable.
The senate, and the country with it
seemingly have, been much torn up
over the charges made by United
States Senator Watson that many
American soldiers We're executed in
France without trial and, as it is
intimated. simply because they were
insubordinate or were 'uncivil to their
officers.
IF there were, any such high-handed
and higl1-gallows proceedings as this
in France, the news of it would have
gone from the Vosges to the North
sea beaches in Geographic time. Amer
lea would have known of it, if not
through the mails and by cable be-
cause of the. censorship, the instant
that the first American doughboy set
his foot on these shores on his return
from overseas service.
1t was impossible to hide things
from the men in France, and Of course
the unwarranted execution of twenty
one men could not have been hidden.
II they had been taken out and hanged
under cover Of darkness their buddies
would have noted their absence at
reveille and things would have started.
There were thousands upon thous-
anus o. ClVllIlH OlllCcIS uolllS uutN III
France. Except in a few instances.
they had no liking for extraordinary
punishments because the human equa-
ton in the army was just about what
the human equation is elsewhere.
A major general commanding one
of the great divisions in France told me
that during his2seven or eight months
as commanding officer of 10000 men
there had been just. one execution.
The man who was hanged was found
guilty by court Of the murder of a
French woman under most dreadful
circumstances. This is one of the II
hangings which the secretary of war
, in response to the charges in the sell
ate has reported as having been the
number of executions of members Of
the A. Il. +. .'@F-
Does Not Seem 7e'ievable.
Within Il year after the close of the
war about two million American sol.
diers returned to this country. 1t
seems more than astounding that all
these two millions kept silent about