Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-11-12
OPEN SESSIONS
(Ccntjnued from Pane Ore)

consequences. Sooner or later the
Senate will be called upon to ratify'
Lat least some of the things that are
done at this conference. When that
time comes many Senators will take
the ground that their position at that
time is Influenced by whether or not
1.-the agreements they are asked to
ratify were arrived at through proc
esses reasonably within the definition
of open diplomacy.
| What seems to have happened so
! far about publicity is this: 1t is to be
inferred that our Government has
sounded some of the other Govern
ments as ito their wishes about open
| debates. At least one European ma.
ton seems to have expressed the view
that open debates would hinder rather
than help the conference. and most of
the European nations seem to have
shared this yiewin one degree or an
other. Partly in Difference of this Euro
pean opinion. and partly because at
least some Of the American delegates
do not believe in open debates, it
seems to have been practically agreed
that the United States would not
press the point at the conference.
This position on the part of the United
States may be affected. however, By
recent developments in the, Senate and
throughout the country. The formal
decision on it can only be made by
the conference as a whole, after it has
come into being.
To persons who want to look at this
subject with reason, some things can
be said: First Of all, Secretary Hughes
since the beginning of his term has
made the information about what he
I, is doing more available to newspaper
men than any other Secretary of State
in our history. 80 far as anticipations
can be based upon past performances,
it must be expected that Mr.. Hughes, !
so far as he is concerned. will adopt
course of giving to the newspa per-
men the largest quantity of Informal
ton that he regards as practicable.
Some Sessions Must Be Secret
The second point Is that not all the ,
debates can possibly be public. There |
must be some executive sessions. Any
extremist who does not concede this |
is unfamiliar with the conditions |
There is now either in Washington |
or gravitating towards Washington a |
host Of persons with subjects which |
they want thrown into the confer |
enee. Representatives of Egypt want |
their case considered; so do repre- |
sentatives of India. Persons with |
various fads and millernial short cuts !
want their subjects considered If all |
the debates were open, and if the |
reasons for not considering these !
subjects had to be given formally in |
open debate, the conference would |
interminable length.
Some things that must be said |
about China and other aspects of the
Far East cannot be said in public |
debate without calarging rather. than
diminishing Ike sources Of friction in
the world. For multitude of rea-
sons some of the sessions must be
executive. The United States Senate
has executive sessions; the United
States Supreme Court does not con-
duct all its deliberations in public.
Hc iCuoOIc lct Inc GOnIcISUCC HdN.
ing some executive sessions are even
larger in number and more import
ant in character.
The third point is that very many
the bulk, in fact-of the sessions
and the debates can be made public
without any harm to the delibera-
tons OF the conference. but on the
contrary with great benefit 10 the
| purposes the conference has in mind.
| For the conference to have all exc
cutive sessions and secret debates
would be as unreasonable a stand on
the part of the conference as is the
contrary stand of those extremists
who demand that every word said
| be made public Immediately. 1t is all
a matter Of degree and proportion. II
out of every five or six daily sessions
of the conference in the course Of .
week as many as three are public
that would be proportion reason
able enough to satisfy any one who II
not an extremist.
There is evidence that there was q
time within the last ten days when
the intention had pretty fully crys-
tallized to have no open debates and
no public sessions except those called
to give formal ratification to agree.