The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1921-12-06
SECRET PACTS
|. ANDNOT NAv|ES
| TObE SCRAPPED
Covenants Arrived At Behind
Closed Doors Will Not Bind
U. S., Says Francis.
BY PHILIP FRANCIS.

Diplomacy Is beginning to let the
real purpose of this conference
creep out of the secret conclaves and
show itself to the public eyes.
That purpose, which IL exactly
what the Hearst papers declared
that time would show II to BE-.
was cautiously disclosed In part
after q secret meeting, in which
Hughes. Balfour aud Kato took
part. last Friday.
The British delegation let II be
known that the big three" Of
Washington, who have taken the
place Of the "big three" at Paris
simply would not have America
enter an alliance with England.
France, Italy and Japan under the
name of the League of Nations.
and they will not have America
enter q far more dangerous and
vastly more unpopular alliance
with England and Japan, under the
name of an entente, q Rentlemen'S
agreement or anything elsa.
Evidently Admiral Kato has
Judged America and the American
people far more accurately than Mr..
as self-constituted dictators of the
affairs of nations. had practically
agreed upon an entente between
America, England and Japan, to
replace the Anglo-Japanese alli-
ance.
They also let II be known that
Admiral Kato expressed the fear
that the agreement might be
scrapped, instead OF the American
navy. when the American people
got through telling the Congress
what they wanted done.
That shows that one of the big
three" has practical good sense.
Because nothing can be more GER
tain than that any such alliance
will be scrappec by the Congress.
or that the Administration and the
Congress will both be scrapped In
the next election.
Opposed 10 Alliance.
The people Of the United States
cret adviser and leader of both Mr..
Balfour and Mr.. Hughes, whose
name IL Elihu Root.
There will soon be a public an
nouncement and no doubt a public
conference over this new three-cor-
nered Little League of Nations. SO
this Is put on record at this time to
show you people what frauds the
public meetings are and how every
thing Of any importance Is done In
secrecy and in the dark before II
is thought necessary to let common
Americans know anything about II.
That IL the kind Of open cove
nants" at which Mr.. Wilson "open-
ly arrived" when he got into the
darkroom at Paris.
We are having the same tricky
and nasty secret diplomacy here in
our own capital that has always dis
tinguished conferences and con-
crosses in European capitals.
The whole thing is dishonest and
un-American.
1t Is an insult to our people.
1t is a fiat denial OF their intelli-
gence and their capacity to govern
themselves.
It smacks Of nothing but snobbery
and cheap imitation of European
class rule. And as might confident
ly be expected, IL 10 resulting In the
betrayed Of our national traditions
and our national safety through the
laundering awkwardness Of our anna
teur secret diplomacy. and the skill
Of the accomplished cheats and
sharpers Of professional foreign d.
plomacy.
The conference opened with q
piece of deceit. Mr.. Balfour knew
just as well what Mr.. Hughes was
going to say as did Mr.. Hughes.
Yet Mr.. Balfour pretended enor-
nous surprise. There was neces-
sity for this play acting. The
American people could Just as well
have been told, and should have
been told weeks beforehand that
their Government was considering
making an offer to England and
Japan to cut down our naval
strength IL they would do likewise.
Fine for Discussion.
Then there would have been
times for popular discussion before
the offer was formally made. And
IL this Is really a government OF
the people, by the people. for the
people. then our public officials
who, after all. are only our hired
men-have no business to offer
pledges and assets Of America to
foreign powers without full public
discussion and a prior expression
of the peoples will.
We will never bride this con-
stantly increasing insolence and
this constantly growing contempt
for the people and their will until
we establish the means Of COM
polling a plebiscite on all important
questions, such as the initiative
and referendum law gives the peo-
pie of some Of our States.
In the meantime. every honest
newspaper should call public atten-
ton to the fact that all the real
proceedings of this conference are
carried on in the dark; that the
so-called plenary public sessions Of
the conference are bunk: that they
are only rehearsed stage play; that
the most vital interests and the
peace and safety of 100, 000, 900
Americans are being gambled with
In secret by two lawyers, neither
OF whom IL at all remarkable
among hundreds of other Ameri-
cans for extraordinary wisdom; that
Lawyer Hughes and Lawyer Root
are playing the parts of masters
of all our fortunes and destinies;
that In every detail they act. not as
representatives and servants of self
governing men. but as chancellors
and prime ministers Of an, auto
cratic king or emperor might act.