The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1921-11-17
WILL ARMS MEET
Be OPEN AFFAIR?
COUNTRY Is INTENSELY INTER.
EsTED IN THIS QUESTION
STILL NOT SETTLED.
PUBLIC FOR FULL PUBLICITY
Best Opinion In Washington 10 In Fa-
vor Of Allowing the Members Of the
Conference to Do a. They Please
a. to Closed Sessions.
BY EDWARD 9. CLARK.

WashingtOn.-ls the coming confer
ence ON the Limitation of armaments to
be an open AFFAIR." Is the public to be
allowed to know what is going on with
in the chamber of council, or are the
proceedings to be shrouded from the
eyes of the publicf
Nobody can reply definitely as yet
TO these questions, but they are up
standing today and an immense
amount Of interest is being shown In
the answers which finally will be forth
coming.
1t may be somewhat of surprise
TO the country to learn that many Of
the persons most Interested In the sue
cess of the conference are among the
advocates OF closed sessions. or at any
rate of sessions which shall be open
or closed at the will of the confer
ees.
On the other hand, there is de-
mand which is growing in insistence
day by day that all of the meetings
shall be thrown open to the public, ex-
cept, of course, those In which votes
are to be taken on matters OF hlgh
moment, with view to making the
results public as soon as the opinions
of the conferees ON particular mat
ter have been learned.
Questionnaires to prominent officials
In Washington and to Washington cor
respondents have come from several
bodies here and there, from newspaper
organizations and from individuals
asking that each person addressed give
his views as to the ACCESSIBILITY or
open or closed sessions of the confer
ence.
Public 10 Suspicious.
Naturally enough the public will
want to know what Is going on within
the council chamber and also natural
ly enough the public Is afraid that II
closed doors are the order Of the day
some OF the conferees may be able 10
! induce results by subtle methods
which they could not induce If the
world was auditor and spectator In
one. The word of every country which
Is TO be party TO the conference, has
been passed that everything done will
be done In the best interests of limi-
tatiOn of ornaments and OF a proper
settlement of the problems of the Far
East. Is this TO be depended ONT
From the point of view Of the State
department, the word OF every nation
whose representatives, will meet In
Washington. must be taken ut Its face
value without so much AS a shrug OF
doubt Diplomacy. of course, be-
lioves that the casting of doubt, or
even the suggestion Of a suspicion CON
cerning motives, may work 10 the dis
advantage of frankness in the inter
change of views, and also possibly To
prevent success from being attained.
II seems TO the writer that the ma
Jority OF worth while opinion In Wash
ington is In favor Of allowing the con
ferees TO do AS they please about
open or shut sessions. Experience has
shown, so some OF the diplomats say,
that II the sessions are open the dele
gates will not speak their minds as
freely on various subjects as they
would II they knew that what they
say is not TO be given To the world.
OF course II is realized that II the
delegates do not open their hearts to
their fellow conferees there cannot be
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