Evening star., 1921-12-13
SIGNATURES Affixed
in Secretary of
States Office.
SIMPLE CEREMONIES
WITHOUT FORMALITY
Americans First to Sign
Under Alphabetical
Plan of Powers
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
The new quadruple treaty to pre-
serve peace in the Pacific was formal
ly signed today by the plenipotentt-
aries of the United States, Great
Britain, France and Japan.
The signatures were affixed in the
anteroom of the office of the Secre-
tary of State. There was no formai
ceremony and no one was present ex-
cept the plenipotentiaries. their Sec
retaries and advisers.
The American delegates, the first TO
sign under an alphabetical arrange
ment of the powers. put their names
to the document and affixed their
seals a few minutes after IL o'clock.
Subject to Understanding.
The approval of the United States
was given, however, subject to
written understanding with the
Japanese providing that the Ameri-
can-Japanese treaty regarding zap
must be consummated before the
four-power arrangement is binding.
The reservation contained pro-
vision that domestic questions of the
various powers are not to be conSld-
cred within the scope of the treaty.
The reservation is in two parts, the
first of which declares that the treaty
shall in no way be binding as regards
the policy of the United States toward
the inundated islands of the Pacific.
Except for this reservation. which
is expected to be erased within rev
days by signature of the zap treaty,
the new Pacific agreement now re-
qures only parliamentary ratifca-
ton by the various governments to
make il effective.
The American official copy of the
document now goes to the White
House for transmission by President
Harding to the Senate. The new pact,
1T was generally believed today,
would be forwarded to the Senate
within very short time.
Balf0ur .SiEns Twice.
The American delegation began
signing at 11:14 am. At 11:16 the
British followed. Arthur J. Baifour
signing twice. once for the British
empire and once for the union of
South Africa. which has no delegate
he~n.
The French followed the British.
and the Japanese. the last to sign.
completed formal approval Of the
treaty at 1920 o'clock
The signing was wholly without
ceremony, and devoid of historic
setting except for the portraits of
score of former Secretaries of State
which looked down from the four
walls of the anteroom.
Hum of Conversation.
The long table which usually oc-
cupies the center of the room had
been removed and a smaller one put
in its place. The American dele
gates first took their places at the
table and signed their names, while
the other delegates stood about
informally chatting. There was a
hum of conversation throughout.
they gave up their places to the
British. and then the French and
Japanese followed in order. At the
shoulder of each as he signed stood
Eddie Savoy, the picturesque door
keeper of the Secretary's office. with
made signatures.
Seals Amxed Beforehand.
The business of afixing the official
seals had been performed beforehand.
and each delegate as he signed
merely touched the crest of sealing
wax beside his name to signify
formally that his seal had been
officially executed.
Only one copy of the treaty, en-
crossed on parchment, was signed.
Authenticated duplicates will be CIV
en- to each delegation, and the Off
cial copy will be deposited in the
archives of the State Department
Before the signing began the Amer
lean reservation regarding Yap was
handed to the Japanese in English
and agreed to by them. AS the sign
making a French copy of it. and the
delegates were kept together in the
room for completion of the process
so That's the reservation would be
available to every one in both the
official languages of the arms confer
ence before they separated.
Reservation signed BY ALL
When the American reservation had
been put into final form in the two
languages it was signed by all Of the
delegates present and was placed with
the official copy of the treaty itself,
which is in French and English, print
cd in parallel columns.
The only absentees among the dele
gates of the four powers were AM
bassador Jusserand and NJ. Sarraut,
both of the French group.
Arrangements had been made ear
lier in the day not to have the cere-
mony held in privacy. State Depart
ment officials planning to permit
newspaper men to be present. Secre-
tary Hughes. however. Cancelled the
arrangements JUST ueAOEe tHe O0l0s
gates met.
French to Sign Later.
Blanks were left in the signature
space of the French group. and AM
bassador Jusserand and nj. Sarraut
will put their names there later.
All of the delegates except two
signed with ordinary steel pens or
with their own fountain pen. Senator
Lodge and Elihu Root Of the Ameri-
can delegation used an eagle quill
sent to them by Robert Underwood
Johnson. former ambassador to Italy.
1t will be placed by Mr.. johnson in
rhe American Academy of Arts and
Letters in New York.
Senator Lodge went to the White
House for a conference with President
Harding, presumably regarding the
Presidents transmission of the treaty
to the Senate.
Republican leaders. while not in
formed as to when the pact would be
submitted to the Senate, said that
nothing would be done with the treaty
until after the holiday recess. 1t
was pointed out that both Senator
Lodge and Senator Underwood proba-
bly, would be engaged as conference
delegates until about the first Of the
year, and as Senator Lodge Is chair
man of the foreign relations commit
tee, to which the treaty will be re-
ferred, any action before January was
regarded as improbable.