Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1921-12-10
THIS BARS GERMANY:
LIKE LEAGUE COVENANT

W ASHINGTON. Dec. To-
The tour-powyrcd Pacific agree
mcnt between the United States.
Great Britain, Japan and France
will be announced al plenarY
session Of the armament confer
cncc TO-DAY
The British delegates received
their Instructions; the Japanese
announced that they had received
theirs the French. also received
instruction, last night The
American delegation. - course.
has full power to act. 1t Is pre-
suined that all the instructions
order the acceptance of the plan.
The agreement is less broad than
has Teen supposed II was given In
understand that il is not general
recognition Of the status quo in the
Pacific with a pledge to delay ana
mediate in the case OF contentious.
but that i is q recognition OF The
status quo OF island possessions only
Such an agreement sets q precedent
which might well lie extended, ana in
its spirit look to a general agreement
among the four powers 10 submit; any
Pacific differences TO arbitration
The agreement. il is said. comprises
twenty lines OF eleven or twelve words
each. The Americans Will make no
statement as 10 its purport but from,
several sources The following Is said
to be the outline
The four contracting parties recog
nize the status quo OF island posses
sions in the Pacific, whether held in
direct possession or by mandate. II
then says that in any disputes over
tho territories to which the agreement
applies, there shall be a period OF de-
lay. during which the parties 20 the
dispute may discuss their differences
If at the end OF the period they shall
not have effected settlement. they
shall resort 20 arbitration. The dpalt
ends by saying that It's ratification is
to be followed by the abrogation OF
tho Anglo-Japanese Alliance
Likeness To Covenant Seen
Snch an agreement, it may be seen,
is something Of miniature limited
liability League Of Nations Recogni
ton OF the status quo OF territory
that is in the League covenant. The
provision for cooling-off period
that also is 10 be found in the League
covenant Mediation and arbitration
those provisions also are in the COW
nant
In a word. it would seem that Amer
lea is about TO pay the price Of
limited subscription 70 League prin
ciples in a restricted field 10 obtain
the Pacific settlement she desires. The
conference has adopted the League
plan. drafted for all the world, 70 apply
70 a part OF the world.
Framed in the most earnest desire
to promote peace by elimination OK
causes OF war and restriction Of the
means Of fighting them, the proposed
agreement contains an absorbing
amount OF political interest Its re-
semblance TO the League covenant
and its implied recognition Of the val
idity OF the mandate system are mat
tiers OF smaller interest. But there
are larger factors which make the ar
rangement OF greater importance in
our International relations.
One is that the recognition OF the
status quo OF the Pacific Islands
amounts 10 definite exclusion Of Ger
many from the Pacific. Many Of the
islands which Japan now holds in the
Pacific, including zap, went 10 her as
mandates. They used TO belong to
; Germany.
/ There are immense possibilities in
! volyed in counting Germany out OF the
1 Pacific or course, the Versailles
/ Treaty did that. but the Versailles
Treaty does not count for America
and the now agreement will
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