The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1921-08-26

ffNhNFhf nus ffs'N fNf"f""'" -"
pending Washington disarmament
and Pacific Conforenccg President
Harding or Lloyd George
This is a problem which Is being
very freely debated here, and one
which Is likely to prove conten
tious subject for future historians.
The average member OF the British
public doesn't vastly care either way
hut no readily comedies that Lloyd
George, with characteristic welsh
wizardy' and aeumen. has managed
TO get in first and rake off In adj
vance good share Of any credit
which may accrue to the promoters
without. however. incurflng much
blame If things fall through,
Dislnterested officialdom say that
tho qeustion can only bo honestly an.
swered by the select few who thor
oughly understand the inner meaning
OF the little diplomatic juggle with
the staid pages of "IIansard'-the
British Parliamentary Official Rec.
ord-a few weeks ago.
July 7, Lloyd George. rising In the
House OF Commons, to answer n
Misunderstanding question about the
Anglo-Japanese Treaty. said that he
hoped to make full statement on
the following Monday (July III. but
that II would depend upon replies
received from the United States.
Japan and China" This was the YER
sion given by every reporter in the
Press Gallery OF the House OF Com
mons. There were a few differences
in the actual wording. some papers
saying. United States and Japan"
others only quoting Omitted States
and China" while the majority in
cluded all three countries.
"IIasard's" report is never pub
llshed until the following day, as the
House Of Commons does not rise
until II p. m. and very often sits
into the early hours of tho morn
ing. But meanwhile. energetic Ameri
can correspondents had cabled this
quotation TO the United States, and
equally energetic colleagues in
Washington had been round to the
State Department to find out the
presumed Note to which the Brit
ish Premier was evidently expect
ing a reply.
Washington processes ignorance
and said that there was nothing to
reply to, and within few hours Of
Lloyd Georges statement in the
House of Commons, London Editors
and Parliamentary experts were
worrying themselves over the mys-
terry They naturally went to the
Foreign Office and No. 10 Downing
street, and something had to be
done.
The next day the Foreign office.
spokesman blandly referred inquiries
to the freshly-prnted sheets of
"llansard, which contained no ref
erence to the Premier having men
toned expecting replies from the
United States. Japan and China.
anybody quoting the Premier differ
emily to the official Parliamentary
record must have misunderstood
him." was all that could be ex-
tracted from the Foreign Office.
Leading newspapers, with implicit
faith in their Parliamentary experts,
were not satisfied with this and
went to the Premier's Office. Soon
afterward an official statement was
issued saying that somehow or
other the words would depend on re-
pies fromp the United States, Japan
anu China" has been omitted" from
Hansard, but that these words were
actually used by the Premier and
dad accordingly been inserted in
the official record.
There the matter ended officially,
and the newspapers did not press the
point any further, for the average
British editor has a very High sense
Of patriotic duty where delicate mat
ters of foreign policy are concerned.
The corrected proofs Of Hansard.
for July I, were not available for IN
gpection. so nohody can saw inst who