Omaha daily bee., 1921-08-25
Agenda for Conference.
What Will Be Talked About at the
Washington Meeting Means Much.
(From the Boston Transcript.)

| side OF the Atlantic at least, concerning that
part Of the agenda which will deal with the
question of armaments. This is the more sur
prising in view of the probability, reasonable
| one as we think, that the other powers will ex-
pect the Washington government to submit the
| first proposition looking to agreement to
| limit ornaments. But before the secretary OF
state can formulate such proposition he must
know in general outline what the American
| people would be likely to approve. The best
| way to find that out is to develop through pub
lie discussion the whole question of the
agenda. This is desirable i'll view
of the apparent ignorance OF the English pre-
mier regarding the American mind on interna-
tonal relationships Mr.. Lloyd George in his
latest address to Parliament and i'll earlier ut
| terances appears to labor under the hallucina-
ton that the verdict of November last was not
the result of "a great and solemn referendum
but only temporary American alteration due
to partisan politics He continues to talk about
the possibility OF an entangling alliance between
the United States and Great Britain, with Japan
as third partner, the purpose of which would
be to guarantee the peace of the world. In
short he would apparently build new super
government around Article X of the covenant
of the League of Nations and have Anglo
Japanese American alliance underwrite it. That
might be fine thing for the Anglo Japanese al
lance, but it would not square with the con-
science it would not realize the aspirations and
it would violate the very heart and soul of our
traditional foreign policy. The American peo-
pie have repeatedly made it clear that they de-
sire no entangng alliances with any foreign
power, and least of all with the British or
Japanese empires. If they get it into their heads
that the English premier is coming to the
United States in quest of such bargain his
mission will be foredoomed to failure and the
conference of Washington, instead of COM
manding the support of American opinion will
from the very start excite American suspicion.
In justice to President Harding and Secre
tary Hughes it is only fair to point out that
nothing that they have yet said gives ground for
believing that they have the remotest idea OF
courting any partnership with the Anglo
Japanese alliance. AS long as that alliance
stands it will be regarded and rightly, by the
great body of the plain people of the United
States, as aimed directly at them, and therefore
as menace to their national security. As long
as that alliance stands it would be the supinest
of follies for the United States to reduce its
navy by single unit or its army by single
regiment. Indeed common prudence would
seem to require that the dissolution OF the
Anglo Japanese alliance should be the sine qua
non of any general international understanding
regarding the problems of the Far East and the
Pacific. If England is bent upon maintaining
that alliance, that is Englands right. But the
exercise of that right would make it wise for
the United States to develop friendly relations
with France Italy and China not to mention
at least go far to offset the constant danger of
an Anglo-Japanese alliance.
Assuming, however, for the sake of argu-
ment-and every we'll wisher of the conference
must make the assumption-that the Anglo
Japanese alliance will presently be dissolved,
not only because it violates the covenant of the
League of Nations to which both Great Britain
and Japan are signatory, but because it stands
in the way of any international agreement in
regard to the Pacific, how far can the Ameri-
can delegation go toward giving its consent to
limitation of armaments and be assured of the
support OF the American people? National
ornaments are of three general sorts: CD Land
fortihcations; CD navies; 60 all the elements
that enter into the mobilization of national re-
sources for war. 1t is the land and sea forces
of the world today that cost the most to main
tain. If we begin with sea forces, the United
States might we'll be willing to agree to limit its
sea force to any size to which Great Britain
would agree to reduce it's sea force, so that the
two nations for the future would be equal on
the sea- Such concession, however, could only
be made upon the condition that the Anglo
Japanese alliance were dissolved and that Japan
in turn undertook to limit her navy to half the
size of the American navy, and China were per-
mtted to build navy which would not exceed
that of Japan. Satisfactory assurances from
France and Italy not to upset this balance of
power would naturally be also essential to such
an agreement.
Pending an agreement of this sort President
Harding could not render to the world time
lier service, or one that would do more to in
sure the success of the Washington conference
than to let the world understand in diplomatic
language the following outstanding fact
The United States will not undertake to lay
up single ship, to cease to authorize new
ships, or to slow up it's building program, or
to disarm single soldier-but will go forward
as rapidly as its resources will permit to
strengthen its national defense system, unless
and until the other great powers come to terms
and reduce those terms to a treaty which shall
provide for a general limitation upon land and
sea forces.
The burden of future additions to our army
and navy need not fall upon the American tax
payers alone. 1t can be transferred at any time
that the American people see fit to make the
transfer to the shoulders of the governments
and people who owe the United States today
ten billions over and above the interest al
ready due this amount. The fact that no part
of this interest has yet been collected is in no
small measure the result of the hope and belief
cherished by the people of this peace-lovng,
easy-gong, altruistc nation that the great
powers are at last willing to discuss the terms
of an agreement to limit armaments to an ex-
tent and upon basis that would not insult our
national intelligence, much less jeopardize our
national honor and interests
The sooner the air is cleared and the great
powers of Europe and Asia are able to come
face to face with the calm resolve of the people
of the United States, who have no intention of
being seduced or intimidated either into single
handed disarmament entangllng alliances, the
better will be the prospect for successful meet
ing at Washington and for happy issue out of
many present troubles. But the great powers
will make grievous blunder if they mistake
the voice of Wall Street, the voice of pacihsm
or the voice of hyphenism for the voice of the
American people. They still believe that Wash