The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1921-10-04

|
aside for the use of the conference Is
not by any means large one, some
strict attendance regulations will be
necessary.
! An inside limit Of 1000 official Wis.,
itors has been set by the authorities
in estimating the attendance ut the
Forthcoming conference on dsarma-
ment. This estimate takes no cog
milton Of what may be called eXtran-
eous visitors.
| Newspaper men stationed in Wash
tngton are making preparations to
welcome and to look after the COM
| fort of some three hundred Of their
comrades who are expected to arrive
here, perhaps properly enough, on or
about All Saints day from the Old
| World and the New. If the conferees
| decree that the conference is to be
conducted along the "open covenants
openly arrived at" plan, the newspa-
per men, resident and alien alone
would fill the hall Of cOnfab.
English and French to Be Used.
|
| are to be written and printed in two
languages, English and French. There,
will be some correspondents in Wash
, ingion who speak neither Of these
| languages, but they will get die news
| all the same, for that is way they
have. 1t is fully expected that every
, European country will be represented
| by newspaper writer's, and of course
| Japan will have its writing represen-
| tativeS on the spot.
Recently in Washington there was
formed an organization which is
called the Overseas Writer'S club. Its
membership is composed entirely Of
present Washington correspondents
| who ut one time or another have
| served their newspapers in foreign
! fields. 1t was this newly-fOrmed or
ganiZatiOn which gave luncheon to
| Lord Northcliffe on his visit to Wash
| ingtOn. 1t was the clubs first formal
| social function.
The State department has been con-
| sulting members of the National Press
club, the Gridiron club, the Overseas
| Writer'S club, and more directly than
was all others, the members of the
standing committee Of correspondents.
| The Stale department in Il general
way will look after the comfort and
| to some extent the amusement of all
the visitors from foreign countries,
but it is to be the special duty and
pleasure Of the newspaper men to
| look after their colleagues. The quar-
tiers of the National Press club are
none too large, but of course every
visiting writer will be given guest
card, and in addition he will be given
a temporary card admitting him to
the two press galleries of congress.
Don't Hope to Abolish War.
The instant that the disarma-
ment conference was proposed there
were evidences that the American
people here, there Gad elsewhere,
following the linz of their ''un-
thinking thought" of 1914, 1915, 1916
and early 1917, were jumping to the
conclusion that war for all time VAS
to cease, that the United States soon
would get rid of its army and navy,
and that powder, shell, dreadaoughts,
gas and other weapons and munitions
Of warfare soon would be sent into
the neither place of the forgotten.
SO it is that Washington today Is
getting results in the way Of reflex on
President Harding's speech to the
members of the army war college in
which he made the attempt specifically
to dispel the apparent false hopes of
many of the American people that the
coming disarmament conference might
| end war for all time.
1t actually was necessary for men
who understood the situation to write
words Of warning because of the SEEM
ing widespread feeling that the con-
ference of the winter was certain to
smooth the front of Mars and to keep
it smooth for all time. Officials point
ed ont at the time the fact that there
is q wide difference between hope and
certainty. The President finally felt
compelled himself to make public his
views on the subject so that the Amer.
lean people would not later hold him
responsible for making false prom
ises. OF course he never made any
promise, and all that he held out was
hope that armaments might be
limited.
Limitation Not Disarmament.
Loose writing, of which many of
us are guilty. Is responsible for some
of the misunderstanding concerning
the scope Of the coming conference.
1t is not to be Il disarmament confer
ence, but conference on the subject
of the limitation of ornaments. There
is difference between the two things
! which needs no explaining
Every government official seemingly
knows that seiEshness will enter large
~ into the proceedings OF the meet
ing between the representatives of
the nations. 1t is pointed out today
h.. q student of the situation that the
success of the conference will depend
largely unon the extent to which con-
science plays a part In it. No one
apparently expects that as first pro-
| .I,.