Great Falls tribune., 1921-08-11
The HQSki11 Letter 81 rs1ass.sx : %ss1
THE DISARMAMENT CONFERENCE.
Government at the disarmament con-

UOVernment at the disarmament con.
terence.
In effect, President Harding has
taken the nations of the world as be-
ing but people in a small community
people who have from the dawn of
time been pickering and fighting and
stealing from each other, encroaching
on each others lots, breaking each
others windows, and refusing to pay
the grocer on the corner for what they
eat. Many of them are in the position
Of having borrowed from a rich neigh
Dor, and now find that they cannot
meet their notes.
If neighbors in a village acted as
history records the actions of nations,
they would be thrown into Jail or ridden
out Of town on fence rail. In the
past it has been the universal custom
for nations, strong and rich, to over
power and make subject to them their
weaker neighbors. Nearly every civil
zation has spread itself by conquest
and arms. Had Germany and its allies
won, the old story undoubtedly would
have been repeated
A thousand and one separate in
terests will have to be moulded and
shaped toward a common end when
the disarmament conference meets.
England will look with dread upon any
movement which would deprive her. an
island power, of the tremendous naval
force she now possesses. 1t is inborn
in the British to regard their navy
as the great factor of British safety.
But British taxes are very heavy, and
British debts to America are SO huge
that the repre- Sentatives of that proud
nation have not scrupled to suggest
the forgiveness of this debt by the
United States.
France. trained to the habit of
thought that her natural and heredi-
tary enemy, Germany, lies just over
the border. smarting under a crushing
defeat, will make a struggle against
giving up or materially reducing her
large standing army.
Japan Plays Her Game.
From Tokyo the hints at obstruction
of the purposes of the conference are
multiplying at the mere invitation to
take part it it. First Japan wanted to
know the exact scope the discussions at
the conference would have, and did not
want the Pacific question brought in at
all. This was in effect politely refus-
ed, and Japan practically had to come
into the conference just the same.
Baron Sakatani. member of the jap
anese House of Peers. is credited with
recent interview bearing on the sub
ject. some parts of which are remark
able in that they throw light on the
sort of thing the japanese people are
being given to read He is credited
with saying that if the disarmament
conference reaches an impasse between
Japan and America it will be because
each is suspicious Of the others mo-
tives and intentions with respect to
China. 1t is limited even that Japan
might suspect America of impartial de-
signs of her own in the far east. How
utterly ridiculous this is it is unnec-
essary to say.
The situation is not altogether with
out its lighter elements. There is now
in Washington the representative of
the ruler of one of the smaller nations
to teh north of India. This ruler and his
father before him have been held vir-
tualIy subject to England and their
nation under British domination
through the annual payment of large
sum to the ruler from the British
treasury. This payment was omitted
last year and the ruler was so upset
that he is seeking to establish "diplo
matte relations" with the United
States. 1t means that he wants Amer
lea to subsidize him. in return for which
America presumably would get spe
ciai treatment which would be to her
advantage.