The Washington herald., 1921-11-10
JAPANESE HOLD
THREADLEADING
OUT FROM MAZE
They, Rather Than Brit
ish, Control Success,
Says Stead.
coniinaed From Paos one.

0o..seeoo EIOm Fooo Ohe.
will be that Of a power holding va
rious advantageous positions which
she Is not disposed to abandon save
under some form of duress, or
whether Japanese statesmanship.
better informed and clearer of
sight than that of other powers,
win come to the rescue of the con-
ference by suggesting equitable
solutions such as would command
respect and secure the assent Of
other quarters.
By a display of that lofty and
apparently disinterested, but In the
long run largely profitable state
craft which has at critical moments
often distinguished her leaders.
Japan might 60 far toward guiding
the conference into paths Of COM
paratlve safety. Will she do It?
Once more no man can say.
Net mp to Britain.
In reality, the key to the confer
enee lies in japanese hands Some
foolish folks have suggested that
the British delegates will be the
arbiters OF the fate of the confer
ence, as though the policy OF the
British Empire were not marked out
in advance with the utmost pre-
cision- The supreme British inter-
est Is peace in the Pacific and
throughout the world. Anything
that can conduce peace or assure II
II threatened must automatically
receive British support The sewers
Of tares have been busily insinu-
ating, rather in speech than by the
written word, that England would
Eloat over an American-Japanese
sonaict and see in II the opportunity
Df recovering economic and political
Advantages, lost or jeopardized In
the great war. Were such sugges-
lions not foolish to the point of i'm
becility, they would be criminal
In other quarters, British embar-
easements arising from the Anglo
Japanese alliance are busily dis
.ussed. and the undoubted fact that
the whole American people regards
The alliance with dislike and sus-
pIcIon is wrongly emphasized IN
less misjudge the situation, the
Japanese themselves are under no
Illusions on this score.
The British interests.
Just as England Is unlikely to
yield to pressure designed to utillze
the alliance for the purpose of Sc
curing support for or Withholding
opposition from any policy not
manIfestly conducive to attainment
of the major purposes Of the con-
ference, so believe the supreme in
terests Of the British Empire would
in given circumstances inspire an
attitude on the part OF the British
delegation that would leave no
doubt in any quarter as to the char
acter of the British action were
peace directly at stake
This. the Japanese are much too
we'll informed and far too intelli-
gent not to know.
No Clarity Mt First.
The opening phases OF the con-
ference are not likely to dispel the
thick haze that Ssurrounds II,
though President Harding's inaugu-
raj speech may act as a partial
cIarifer. Much patience and more
goodwill, and constancy in honest
endeavor will be needed at every
stage Of the proceedings. No con-
ference within the memory of the
living has, 1 believe, approached its
TASK with a greater measure of
rood will on the part of those at
tending II. Moreover. its prospects
pf success have, despite all difh-
eulties, improved during the last
few weeks in proportion as the
disastrous consequences of its fall
ure have been increasingly appre-
hended.
One very shrewd judge who has
watched from a point of vantage
the confidential preparations for the
conference during recent months,
said yesterday that the chances for
success or failure are now about
even A month ago. he added, the
chances of failure predominated. A
month hence. il all goes well, sue
cess may be within sight. But to
make this possible, the delegates to
Washington and the public opinion
of all countries must conscienti-
ously strive to diminish the qualify
ing virtue Of the IT,