The New York herald., 1921-11-23
Abrogation Of Anglo-Jap-
anese Treaty Possible
First Step.
EMPIRES VIEW STATED
Conferees Recognize Americas
Conviction That Treaty Is
Unfriendly.
BY wICKHAM sTEED.
Editor of the London Times.


Editor of the London Times.
(Copyright. 1891. by United Nesos).
WAsHIoroN, Nov. 22.-The good i'm
preston made by Mondays plenary
sitting and by the announcement that
the committee on Pacific and Far
Eastern questions had agreed on four
general principles in regard to China
has strengthened the feeling that the
conference has now made measurable
progress toward success.
Nevertheless much. very much, still
remains to be done. The hardest
tasks Of the conference still lie before
1t. They are all the harder because,
by their very nature. they are not i'm
mediately susceptible to the influence
Of public opinion. but demand precise
thinking and some degree of moral
courage from the delegates them
selves.
Necessities OF France.
Before commenting upon them, it is
necessary for moment to revert to
Mondays sitting and to define It's Sig
nificance. NJ. BRAND really gave the
conference convincing and exhaustive
exposition of the necessities OF France
and as Mr.. Balfour said, took his hear
ers into the inner sanctuary of French
policy. Whether the English text of his
speech, which was the result Of gallant
effort on the part of the French trans
lator will make on the American people
the Same deep impression 1t made on
those who heard and understood 1t In
the original. 1t is difficult to estimate,
but Americans in general will certainly
comprehend the meaning of Mr.. Bal
four's and Mr.. Hughes's Endorsement
Of II. Nf1H
Mr.. Balfour's speech amounted to a
virtual pledge. whole-heartedly given in
the presence OF representatives OF the
United States, that, in case OF renewed
aggression by Germany on France or
Belgium. the British Empire will not
shrink from supporting the same cause
for which 1t made immense sacrifices
In the war. Similar. II not identical.
value attached to the most telling
passage In Mr.. Hughes's speech: May
I say. In response to a word which chal-
Ienged us all as it was uttered by M.
BRAND, that there is no moral isolation
for the defenders of liberty and Justice.
We understand the difficulties; what has
been said will be read throughout this
broad land by a people that desires to
understand"
The Riddle Of China.
The conference has not yet faced.
much less answered, the riddle which,
as I said a few days ago, is writ large
over its portals: What is China?" The
principles now enunciated contemplate
the provision of an opportunity for
China to develop and to maintain for
herself an effective and stable Gov
ernment. How is that opportunity to
be provided. Surely not by letting
things drift from chaos to chaos, with
the leaders of one section of the coun-
try striving against the leaders of other
sections for opportunities to exploit the
Chinese masses for personal ends. the
leaders of each section being under
suspicion of accessibility to foreign in
fluences. There will ultimately have to
be concordant action and probably some
form or concordant supervision follow
ing upon concordant declarations.
The public at home should clearly
understand that this desirable consum-
nation will probably be impossible
while the Anglo-Japanese alliance per.
sists. Account must be taken of politi-
cal facts. They cannot be argued away
or ignored. One such fact is that in
the happily unlikely event of conplj-
cations In the Far East important nor
tons of the British Empire would NOT
be able not to side against Japan. aIIi-
terests of the British Empire demand
the abrogation of the alliance.
Another fact which Is less directly n
British interest, but which Is n British
interest nevertheless. In that more than
1O0.000,000 American citizens are firmly
convinced that in practice the influence
OF the alliance Is anti-American.
Whether reasonable or unreasonable. th,s
conviction must be recognized. since n
ndlitates against that closeness OF
mutual comprehension among the Eng
lish speaking nations, which is eminentiy
British, as IL is eminently an American
interest.
Yet another fact is that the alliance
exists, and will exist, until Il is de-
nounced or abrogated. II It were de-
nounced tomorrow II would run for an
other year. II can only be abrogated by
the consent of the contracting parties
Is u In the interest OF both contracting
parties to abrogate it7
The answer Is certainly in the affirm
alive. The relations between the British
and the Japanese as. indeed, between the
Americans and the Japanese delegations.
are OF the friendliest. All desire n sim
cere practical agreement on the limita-
tons of naval armaments. and all APP
pear TO desire n practical agreement
upon the problems OF the Pacific and the
Far East. Neither desire can be fuI.
filled until the ground has been cleared
by the removal Of the Anglo-Japanese
alliance.
The United States will not come as
third party into any form OF an Anglo
japanese pact that might be conceived
merely as a substitute for the alliance,
but the United States night Join In an
arrangement or a declaration calculated
70 preserve peace In the Pacific were the
ground first deared. and were the parties
70 such decArauon not necessarily
Ilruited Iln.l to the tree principal Pacific