Pueblo chieftain., 1921-11-27
BY MARK SULLIVAN.


Washington, D. c.. Nov. 26.-Prob-
ably persons close to the situation fall
into state of mind where they take
for granted things that the more dis
ant public does not see so clearly. Few
of US In Washington-at least few of
the Americans who are disinterested
share the pessimism which seems to
have colored public discussion of the
disarmament conference during the
last day or two. This pessimism seems
to havs started with BRANDS speech
at noon on Tuesday. Probably under
stood. Brands speech is not a cause
for pessimism. More truly 1t Is
cause for optimism in that 1t was
final expression of a spirit of compro-
mise within the conference.
To understand Brands speech you
must understand that he was talking
primarily for France to hear rather
than for the conference. BRAND is
premier of France and his hold in that
office is precarious. In France, they
have a practice difficult for Ameri-
cans to understand In France, when
a premier does or says something un-
popular, he goes out of office auto
matically. For example, in the letter
that President Harding wrote to con-
sress asking for lower surtaxes had
been written by BRAND to the French
ber Of deputies had done what our
congress did, namely. refused to follow
Hardings leadership, then Harding, IL
he woro the premier of France. would
have gone out of office automatically
and the leader of the opposition would
have taken his place.
Most of the foreign delegates to the
conference who followed this episode
in congress were puzzled to understand
how it was that the day after that
episode, Mr.. Harding was still in the
White House. BRAND in his speech on
Tuesday had to avoid saying anything
that might have caused the present
extgencies OF French politics to vote
him out OF office before he left Amer
1oA. That speech was what American
politicians call "a leave to address the
house" speech, or "a leave to print
speech. 1t was resigned, as many
speeches In congress are designed. not
TO Affect pending legislation, but to be
rad by the voters back home.
The other members of the conference
understood Mr.. Brands position per-
fectly and as politicians. sympathiz
with It. They were entirely willing to
let him talcs position which was
practically a refusal to submit to limf-
tAtion OF armament on land.
BRLAND's SPEECH PRE-AR- :
RANGED
The concession that led Mr.. BRAND
to make the speech he did is a sign OF
the success of the conference. not OF
Its failure.
France expected BRAND to get some
thing big out OF the conference. She
expected him to bring homo a guaran-
tse Of support from Great Britain and
the United States. 1t did not take
BRAND long to learn that he could not
haf - m fvn
empty handed. the conferences was
quite willing he should be permitted
to make the speech he did. That was
all carefully arranged beforehand.
II II true that the limitation OF land
armament Is officially on the confer
ence agenda. But the men who are
dominant IN the conference always re-
garded 1t as a minor subject, and are
not much disturbed by the fact that
nothing 3s to be done about It The
two main subjects of the conference
the limitation OF armament on the sea
and problems OF the Far East, are pro-
greHing with n speed and n degree of
satisfaction that, literally. nobody an
ticipated.
Mr.. Hughes IN his speeches and dis
cussions always shows unconsciously
what he regard the main purpose 0
the conference to be.
Whenever Mr.. Hughes gets around,
A. no does with g. frequency which is
in itself significant. to saying that of
fsnsive war on the sea must be made
impossible" he puts an emphasis on
the words which reveals completely.
what he conccives tho main purpose
to be. That purpose Is already
achieved. All the discussion IS about
details. and no one OF those details will
be settled IN tho end in any such way
a. to 1eopardize the main purpose.
II Is true there is q good deal of
feeling between tho British and the
French. and between tho Italians and