The Washington herald., 1921-12-25

congress was in session and there
was pending in the United States
Senate a resolution introduced by
IEenator Borah calling for a con-
ference between the United States,
Japan and Great Britain for the
purpose Of arriving at some form
OF agreement which would produce
a naval holiday and limitation Of
existing strength upon the sea.
This Borah resolution was, too. as
the weeks passed. cnlisting wider
and wider national approval. 1t
had become a fact which no ad-
ministration could wisely or even
safely ignore.
Representations Made.
Now the sequence of events was
this: The United States quite dis
crectly but no less plainly init
mated to the British government
that a renewal of the Anglo-Jap-
anese Alliance would be disagree
q bic. excessively disagreeable to
the American people as represented
in the Harding administration The
iutimatlon was covered by all the
clothing of diplomatic usage but
the inference was unmistaksble.
London's response tP this Wash
inston intimation was prompt and
two-fold. Directly, there came
back the suggestion that the single
method of avoiding renewal of
the alliances was the calling of a
conference in Washington to con-
slider Pacific problems. Indirectly.
the British position was made clear
. by the notable speech of Lloyd
George, In which he said with al
most blunt frankness that the
British could not honorably scrap
an alliance which had been pro-
kftable to them or drop an ally
who had-been loyal in a great wal.
merely because the alliance was
unpopular In q third country.
Now here are all the elements
IN the problem. The United States
desired TO get rid of the Anglo
Japanese alliance. the British were
unwilling to drop II outright. But
Lloyd George in this same speech
surrested a way out by proposing
n triple alliance. including Britain,
Japan and the United States to
replace the dual affair. To this
n either ME- Harding nor Mr.. Hughes
Responded publicly. but there came
from quarters which were recog-
nized to be authoritative, the de-
finite intimation that America was
not making alliances.
Pacific Real Problem.
Meantime the hint from London
as to the way out was accepted
President Harding issued his call
for a world conference to discuss
two things, the Far Eastern ques-
ton. which corresponded to the
british wish an the naval question
which conformed to Senator Borah's
resolution still pending before the
United States Senate. To be sure
1.-The naval circumstances became at
once, and remained in the mind OF
1.-The American public, the chief &C.
casion of the conference, but by
contrast the Pacific problem had
not only for the British and the
Japanese but also for the Ameri-
can Representatives the real posi-
tion of Importance.
All the later confiict-and in US
ng the word conflict L do not sug-
gest war or battle, but only the
legitimate attempt of each nation
TO protect its own unquestioned
rights-centers about the difference
n opinion between America and
Britain as to the way to get rid
pf the Anglo-Japanese alliance. We
had proposed that IL be dropped
krhe British had proposed that an
pther alliance be substituted. As
for the Japanese, they waited
When the history of the making
Of the four-power agreement,
which Senator Lodge presented &c
the conference at the plenary ses-
sion Of December 10, is written, II
will be seen that from November
IL to December 8. when the agree
ment was finally struck between
the four nations, the battle was
waged between two theses-that of
the British for an alliance; that OF
he Americans for a free-will scrap
ping of the alliance as an evidence
BIZ friendliness-
when Mr.. Balfour came to wash
ngton he brought, IL not an actual
Draft, a very clear view of the
agreement which his country de-
tired to have substituted for the
knglo-Japanese alliance, and this
new envisaged something which
was very close to an actual three
power alliance, the thing suggested
by Lloyd George in his memorable
peeoh of the summer. When Mr..
Hughes went into the conference
he carried with him the foreknowl-
edge that the united states would
accept no alliance and the desire
hat nothing that should even re-
notely suggest an alliance be made.
Prior Declaration Embarrassed.
Eut Mr.. Hughes position was
Uncut: IL was quite as difficult as
hat Of Mr.. Wilson at Paris, because
Ike Mr.. Wilson he had declared In
ldvance for something. Mr.. Wilson
kad declared for the league OF ma
ions; Mr. Hughes had indicated
hat from the American point of
view the conference would be a
allure IL the Anglo-Japanese alli-
nce were not eliminated. And the
thief trouble in all international
gatherings is that no nation can
ret something for nothing. II was
Written in advance, therefore. than
m. Hughes would have to pay. and
he real question was what the sum
IL his payments would be.
We know the answer now, the
our-party treaty covering the re-
hons OF the Pacific" represents ex-