The Washington herald., 1921-11-19
DELEGATES REVEAL
WORLDWIDE FAVOR
FOR HUGHES PLAN
Predicts Foreign ENJOYS
Will Accept Program
With No Alteration.
BY MARK SULLIVAN.

replete with infinite impossibilities
that il is not safe to conclude that
our opinions OF today will be those
of tomorrow" Col. Repington's use
of the word 'fmpossibilities" reflects |
on his part an underlying skepti-
cism which is shared by a few OF
the other British here. 1t ought
to be added. however, that this
skepticism is not antagonisuc- II
is rather the state OF mind which
we in America describe as waiting
TO be shown"
But the main point that Col. Rep
ington makes about the rapid
changes from day to day, and even
from hour to hour. is about the
most conspicuous thing here. l have
the feeling-and 1 think most of
the newspapermen share it-that.
while we write the thing as 1t is.
IL frequently turns out that tho
situation has progressed several
furlongs by the time il is printed
If this makes the recording OF
events difficult, it is also true that
it makes it easy, when you look
into the situation closely, to put
your finger on the huge fundamen-
tai trend which determines these
shifting details.
Foreign Public Approves Program.
What is happening is this: The
effects of Hughes opening speech
are still spreading like giant waves
over every corner of the earth. That
speech is stimulating a response OF
such proportions that when II comes
back here it causes the delegates
from all the other countries con-
stantly and rapidly to change their
point of view in the direction Of
greater assent to what Hughes
wants Not only does 1t cause them
to show an increasing disposition
to identify themselves completely
with Hughes point OF view on ar
mament, further than that, II also
causes them to be increasingly dis
posed TO accept whatever Hughes
wants on the Far East and every
thing else.
The public approval of Hughes
speech in foreign countries is OF
such an overwhelming character
that it has something OF the effect
of a force OF nature. When its
echoes roll back here the repre-
sentatives of those foreign coun-
tries are unwilling to seem even in
the faintest degree to be standing
In the way of it This leads them
TO a degree of abandonment of their
original positions, and a degree OF
hurried assent to the Hughes pro-
gram that may almost have disad-
vantages, even from the American
point of view. 1t makes you some
times wonder whether the only dan
ger in the Hughes program may
turn out to lie in, so to speak, the
excess OF its success. II things con-
dnue to go as they are. the Hughes
program will go through without
even those desirable notifications
which might arise from the clash
Of different viewpoints.
Fear to ImperiI Plan.
You see one of the foreign repre-
sentatiyes on, let US say, a Tuesday,
and he tells you that never, never
will his country recede from such
and such a position on the Far
East. You see him again on Thurs
day and he acts as If he had never
heard of the view he so deeply held
on Tuesday. As American politi-
clans hear from the grass roots, the
Japanese are hearing from the rice
fields. and the British are hearing
from the coal mines. The Japanese
dare not go home, and the British
having done anything that would
seem. even in the faintest degree, to
imperH the Hughes plan on arma-
ment- Incidentally, it is not merely
from their peoples that the foreign
delegations are hearing, but from
ZONE of their most responsible states
men as well. Some of the messages
carrying the reactions OF home gov
ernments to the Hughes plan that
have come over the cables during
the past few days will make pun
gent reading when history gets
around to them. The thing that
Hughes said is the thing that the
peoples of the world want. They
nave taken Hughes for their leader,
and their own statesmen and dele
gates are streaking for the tall
grass. even some who have modif-
cations of the Hughes plan which
would be reasonable to consider.
The end Of it all is that the
Hughes program will go through.
That program will be the adoption
of the armament plan already an
1ounced. without material modifca-
lions When adopted it will be sub
mitted to the Senate independently
and apart from any Far Eastern
agreement In this independent
form the Senate will adopt it unani-
nously.
May Avoid Senate Tansle.
As to the Far East the Hughes
program will probably turn out TO
be an agreement so Informal and
otherwise of such a nature that II
will not need to be submitted 10 the
Senate. At least. it will be in such
form as not to excite Senatorial
objections to alliances. The Ameri-
can program on the Far East will
probably turn out to be a process of
taxing the ten requests already
made by the Chinese; OF agreeing
upon them, or at least upon nine
tenths OF them, by all the govern
ments; and the carrying out Of this |
agreement. without any formal |
document of such a biLding nature |
that the Senate would have to rati- !
fy it, In short. the American plan |
will probably avoid Senate compli- |
cations.
Apparently. there is still some
difference between the British and |
the Americans about the details of |
the Hughes plan on armament |
This difference affects not only the |
quantity OF submarines to be per-
mitted, but affects what is rather |
more serious namely, how COM
plete the naval holiday shall be. |
From the American point OF view, |
the cessation Of building for a |
oeriod Of ten years is fundamental |
The Americans want the psyche |
logical and physical effect OF that |