The Washington herald., 1921-11-25

ssssss, and to refrain from the fur.
thsr intensive exploitation OF other
advantages
The French correspondents inter-
prst the four points agreed upon
on Monday a. to China a. meaning
In substance the recognition of the
validity OF al! the treaties signed
by China with the various powers
in the past. This. In ordinary Ian
guage amounts to conceding In ad-
vance that whatever IL to be done
ON behalf of the Open Door and
the principle Of the integrity Of China
viii be based on what has happened
In the past and been sanctioned by
treaties or otherwise recognised.
We can then put the' thing quite
biuntiy by saying that Japan IL 60
ing to stay in Manchuria. although
she may recognize that technically
Manchuria belongs TO China. She is
going to get out Of shantung and
Eastern Siberia. China Is going to
have some relief from interference
In her FISCAL Affairs. But there is
not going to be any four-power al
lance designed to back China. put
her on her feet. or to enforce GER
tain principles in the Far East.
Fernulatisn Of Principles.
When you come down to the bot
tom fact. II Is this: The confer
ence In Washington Is proceeding by
consent In the Far East.
One dissenting vote will block any
proposition. and there Is no inten-
ton of trying to vote down an op-
posing delegation because more yot-
ing will do nothing.
The United States. Great Britain
and Japan are sitting around a table
trying to formulate principles broad
enough so that they can all agree.
and then the United States and Great
Britain. principally the Qnited States.
will try to sharpen some of these
principles so far as It Is possible
into definite declarations Of policy.
What Is going on is all very sim
pie and Understandable IL reduced
to a human parallel. Nobody wants
to fght. All three countries recog-
nixe that a. a certain point Japan
will night rather than give In. and
diplomacy Is endeavoring to hide
the points where a compromise is
impossible and emphasize those in
which agreement is certain or prob
able.
This process may go on for a
considerable time. 1t is bound to
be confusing and misleading, but
IL you conceive that the three prin-
cipal nations are sitting down and
discussing the Far Eastern ques-
ton not with the intention OF en-
forcing any ideas upon each other.
but. as I said before, of exploring
areas Of agreement. you will get
an accurate idea of what is going
on. Everyone who knows at all OF
the public and professional career
of Elihu Root knows how eminentIy
suited he is for this kind of nego-
tiation. and recognizes how much
better of the United States Is in
Washington than 1t was in Paris.
since II has at least two men in its
delegation here pre-eminently At to
participate and to take a leading
part in the negotiations
As to Naval Situation.
am told by the highest possible
authority that there is no chance
that Japan will really risk a break
over the discussion as to whether
the naval ratio should be lo-l0-6
or 10-10-7. What really troubles the
Japanese In thls question Is the mat
ter of prestige quite as much as
the matter of tonnage. In accept
ing a so per cent ratio they confess
themselves a secondary naval pow
er. and this is bound to hurt their
position in the Far East Some
thing Of the same feeling explains
the French position where regard
for national sentiment may compel
France to ask to be allotted a ratio
as great as that of Japan; and the
same Is true of Italy.
Otherwise each nation would VOL
unfairly accept a position not even
of a second-class naval power, but
of Ia third-rate sea power. That
either France or Italy would ever
build up to a so per cent ratio is
inconceivable, but both countries
desire to retain the right to rank
as second class naval powers IL
they choose. This is the main fact
In all the discussion OF the naval
question today. 1t is one of pres
tige rather than of practical con-
sideration.
fCebvriSht 1927