Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1921-08-05
PREPARING FOR
''DISAR|N' MEET
FOREIGN DIPLOMATS EXPECT
WASHINGTON CONFERENCE
TO LAST FOR MONTHS.
RESIDENCES BEING LEASED
Belief Is That Many Nations and
Races Not Invited Will Have Repre-
sentatives and Versailles Scenes
Will Be Repeated.
BY EDWARD 3. CLARK.


Washington.-Wa is living
lively in anticipation of the great in
ternational conference on disarma-
ment and on questions concerning the
Far East, which is to begin in this
city probably about the time that
snow begins to fall. Activities of
house rental agencies in Washington
are disclosing today something OF in
ternational Importance. 1t is said
that representatives of the allied ma
tons are seeking leases to run eight
months on residences in the capital.
/ have been told by man who
lives where he learns things that the
representatives in Washington of the
governments which will be a party
to the disarmament conference, firm
ly believe that the proceedings will
last from fall we'll into the next
spring, and that they are making
plans accordingly. Moreover, my in
formant says that the foreign repre-
sentatives expect that the Washington
conference will be in effect new
Versailles conference, and that mat
ters touching self-determination, ter
ritorial boundaries and host of 9TH
er things necessarily must be taken
up, for this belief is that some kind
of association of nations is to be
born of the conference, and that such
an association cannot be formed with
out taking into consideration many
things besides disarmament and the
far eastern situation.
May Repeat Versailles Scenes.
When the conference was on at Yer
sailles, representatives were there, not
only of the nations Of the earth, many
of whom stood on the side lines, but
of this faction and that faction of the
different nations. All the representa-
tives of every big country and every
little country had their national axes
to put an edge on. They thought that
they could put the edge on better by
the use of an American grindstOne
than in any other way. Consequently.
so I am told by man closely con-
nected with the proceedings, the Amer
lean newspaper correspondents were
made the marks of the propagandists
of nations, half nations, and countries
that wanted to become nations. They
were all looking to Mr.. Wilson and to
the American people for support, and
they thought that the road to it lay
along the public print routes. Ameri-
can correspondents at the Versailles
ho6 of in n q +.
tempt to sift news and sound argu-
ment from dead stuff and propaganda.
Washington in all probability will
witness scenes in repetition of those
which were presented at Versailles.
The conference membership will be
outside the conference chamber will
be the pleaders in behalf of countries
and half-countries which lie along a
line much longer than that which runs
from Byzantium to Spain.
Signs that there IS already a full
and lively expectation that the Wash
ington conference will develop into
a gathering for the consideration of
worldwide matters are manifest.
Personally, | know of men who ex-
pected to be in Europe or the Far
East pursuing their ways Of work for
certain countries who have changed
their minds and intentions, and who
will remain here through the fall and
winter, because they believe that
Washington is the place where there
will be a reshaping of the policies, and
therefore the destinies, of many coun-
tries of the world.
Bonus Bill Dead for Present.
So far as this session of con-
gress is concerned, the veterans
bonus bill seems to be done for. 1t
may come up again at the next session,
and it may never come up again. No
body knows 1t is fairly certain, how
ever. that the organizations of yeter-
ans will do what they can to see to
it that ultimately the legislation they
seek for their comrades is enacted
into law
Men have asked why the demand
for the bonus? The whole thing can
be reduced to simple terms by means
Of short story.
over in France two doughboys
from the same town met. One of
them said to the other, Il just got a
letter from home Bill Smith didn't
go into the service
The other doughboy said, mo, Bill
Smith didn't go into the service. He's
home, and he's got my job and got
my girl
In this story is to be found the
psychology of the whole bonus matter
If there hadn't been any Bill Smiths
to wax fat in purse in the shipyards,
and perchance to win the affections OF
the sweethearts of the men absent in
the trenches, there would not be any
demand for the bonus today, or at
least so runs the general belief of
men who have studied the situation
from the viewpoint of human nature.
Admittedly the bonus would be
heavy burden on the taxpayers OF
the United States. 1t is hard thing
for a man who himself was veteran
Of the A. e. F. to write without
nroi11dice on this bonus question. l