Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-11-05
ARMAMENT FARLEY
To SEAL THE DOOM
Of PACT, IS BELIEF
Action of Canadian and Aus
traIian Premiers Made It
Impossible for England 10
Keep Agreement
BY DAVID LAWRENCE
Heased Wire Service to The Journal.)
(CoDvri1ht. 1921

Anglo-Japanese alliance. Republic
an and Democratic administrations
alike have felt that alliances. only
led to dangerous misunderstanding
Europe has revealed the mischief
which a system of alliances devel-
ops. The formation of an alliance
in central Europe between Germany,
Austria-Hungary and Italy was Off
set only by an entente cordiale be-
tween Great Britain, France and
Russia. 1t led to war.
But the objection to the Anglo
Japanese alliance has not been mere
Iy that it sets up England, the great
est naval power in the world as q
working partner of Japan with whom
America has been having in recent
years some troublesome disputes. 1t
is that spurred on by the knowledge
of such partnership, the Japanese
have assumed an attitude toward
China wherein American, French,
British, German and Russian inter
ests were likely to be permanently
injured.
OF course, for the moment, Ger
many and Russia are out Of it, but
essentially it is the grouping of Eu-
rope and America on the one hand
and Japan on the other. Would
England stand by her European
friends and her American kinsmen
and would she bring Japan within
the circle of international concord
and compel her military leaders to
refrain from acts which spelled ulti.
mate domination of China and east.
ern Asia? Would England help or
hinder the task of making Japan
play the game on a plane Of equal
0fI, To
pan pledge herself to help restore the
sovereignty of China, which has be.
come the catspaw of nations?
Britain's Attitude
Great Britain has insisted that her
alliance prevented her from making
protests to Japan. 1t has been left
to the United States alone to keep
a vigilant eye on Japanese preten-
sions.
The crisis came at the time the
Dominion premiers were in session.
The British government didn't want
to offend Japan by publicly refusing
to renew the Anglo-Japanese alliance.
What would be the good of that, 1t
was argued? 1t would only drive
Japan into an attitude Of hostility
Japan need not fear impoverished
Russia or helpless Germany. She
need only be concerned about Great
Britain and the United States. Fl.
nancially distressed as is the British
empire, Japan might feel herself ca
pable of going it alone in the Far
East. Britain was too much absorb
ed in domestic troubles to disturb
Japan's pretensions while the Unit
ed States was not inclined to go to
war over China's plight. She was
foV, L.
already sick Of war expenditure. ia
pan, however, had expended little
money during the war and was near
enough to China to offer the Japa.
nese imperiaIist golden opportunities
for commercial gain by exploiting
Ch1na's resources.
Great Britain counselled against
the abrupt cancellation of the Anglo.
Japanese alliance. Couldn't some
other way be found to accomplish
the same end and at the same time
prevent Japanese aggression? Di-
plomacy moves in strange ways it's
wonders to perform. Couldn't the
United States lend a helping hand?
Significant Development
Just about the same time that the
imperial conference was meeting in
was expressing himself frankly on
the subject of renewing the Anglo.
Japanese alliance, public sentiment
in the United States was being mar
shalled in favor of reduction of
armament. Senator Borahs pleas
were being needed. The tax burden
was so heavy that the calling of an
armament conference to stop the race
in ornaments was advocated on ey.
cry side. President Harding didn't
favor the Borah resolution because
it limited the conference merely to
Great Britain, the United States and
Japan. He insisted that it ought to
include all the major powers.
Then 1t was that an unWritten but
significant chapter developed in Lon.
don. President Harding admitted
publicly that he had been sounding
out the powers on the subject of an
armament conference. Ambassador
Harvey was entrusted with that mis-
sion. America wanted an armament
conference called-England wanted
something done about Far. Eastern
problems, she was anxious that q
graceful way be found to lead her
out or the dilemma in connection
with the renewal Of the Anglo-Japa-
nese alliance. The alliance, it had
been decided, would remain in ef-
feet for at least another year, or
even more unless specifically abro-
gated.
What more natural thing than to
nave Prime Minister Lloyd George
or Lord Curzon, foreign secretary.
sit down with Ambassador Harvey
and say something like this to him:
why call a conference on arma-
rnent when we know that we can't
reduce our navies till there is an
agreement on diplomatic questions,
in the Far East?'
Call Is Issued
To which Ambassador Harvey
might with propriety have said:
That's very true; we, too, are con-
cerned with what happens in the Pa.
of our own people are
openly saying the next war will be
with Japan. We would like to see
Far Eastern questions settled so
that American business enterprise
VIII have an equal opportunity along
side Japanese, British or French bus
mess as the case may be-"
And the British statesmen might
nave continued thus:
Fine, If the president Of the Unit
I'd States calls a conference on arm
tment, and there is discussion of
Far Eastern questions in connection
With 1t, we will not object. The in
tiative will come from the United
States and we will not be in the POI
'ition Of offending Japan
So President Harding issued the
all. Curiously enough the publicity
vas somewhat bungled, that is, from
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