Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-12-03
EASTERN COUNCIL
. Of NATIONS LIKELY
UNDER ARMS PLAN
Development Of Such ASso-
citation in Line With Presi-
dent Harding's Theory Re-
garding World Peace
BY DAVID LAWRENCE
(Leased Wire Service to The Journal.)
fConuriOIt


(Leased Wire Service to The Journal)
Copyright, 1921
WASHINGTON, Dec. Am east
ern council of nations now appears
as the objective of the governments
gathered here to discuss Far Eastern
| questions.
The same nine powers who are
| trying to establish a set of princi-
| pies to guide each other in their
| commercial, financial and political
relations with respect to the Pacific,
will be ultimately grouped in an or
| ganization to see to it that the pr1n-
ciples adopted at Washington are
fairly applied.
The United States government, in
| its original invitation, endeavored to
include all nations which might pos
sibly have interests in the Far East
with the exception of Russia. When
the Russians get a stable govern
ment, they, too, would be invited to
| join
Harding's Idea
In other words, this Development
| of an association of nine or ten ma
| lions for precise object-the tran
utilization Of the Far East-is in
| line with President Harding's the
DRY that international conference
can bring about cooperation, not
merely for the moment when the
problems are laid on the table, but
subsequently when disputes arise as
to the meaning or Interpretation of
| principles.
Mr.. Hardings idea is that world
| peace can be materially assisted by
regional understanding as well as
| by periodic conference of all ma
| tons. He summoned five powers
| to participate in the limitation of
naval armament because they alone
seemed to be the factors in such a
problem. Similarly the nine powers
called to discuss the Far East were
| the only ones to whom the Far East
| ern settlement was vital.
U. S. Opposed to Pact
In the same sense Mr.. Harding
has taken occasion to refer to the
organization created by the Yer
sailles treaty as "the European
League of Nations" The president
has let it be known that he believes
the league should abide because it
has a definite value for Europe.
Probably if he were asked to de
fine his attitude toward central and
south American he would say the
Monroe doctrine and the pan-Ameri'
can understandings of the last gen
erations had developed an association
of nations of the western hemisphere.
But the greatest thing that may
develop out of the eastern council
| of nations is the formula it may fur
nish for the graceful abrogation OF
the Anglo-Japanese alliance. The
statement of the Japanese opposition
leader that the Anglo-Japanese al
lance should be broadened to include
the United States is similar to the
utterances of Prime Minister Lloyd
George, who has been urging a spe.
cial agreement of Japan, the Unit
ed States and the British empire to
| take care of Far Eastern matters,
To this the United States govern
ment cannot agree. High officials
have made that clear.
Would Cancel Alliances
So the logical development which
| WILL SOI11C dI IAAC PoJ SAOAO0ASc1A AAAO
Fment is a grouping of nations in an
eastern council. The compact unit
ing them would automatically can.
Gel all previous agreements which
might be inconsistent with it..
| Such an agreement would be the
| Anglo-Japanese alliance and while
twelve months notice is required to
abrogate the alliance, it could be ter
minated Immediately if Japan and
Great Britain mutually agreed to dis
pense with the twelve months no
tice. Difficulties on that score are
not anticipated if a satisfactory un'
derstanding or convention is drawn
up by the nine powers gathered here.
There already has been one sig
nificant indication that the nine
| powers were working toward this
objective. 1t was the appointment
of a commission to study the ques-
ton of giving up extraterritorial
rights.
All powers have agreed to the
principle of abandoning those rights
| but the commission must determine
exactly when the Chinese judicial
authorities are competent to pro-
tect foreigners and their disputes.
| This commission is composed of
representative Of each of the gov
| ernments in session here but the
commission will have to report to a
larger body-probably the eastern
council of nations.
Chinese Eager for Conference
| Other intricate problems that can
not possibly be settled at Washing
ton and require further study and
examination will be left to commits
sions, which in turn, would report
to a conference Of powers.
The Chinese themselves are eager
! for such a permanent conference to
be established and the proposal has
| been given favorable consideration
on every side. Already it's value has
| been apparent even in adjusting
matters of direct concern to two
| powers such as the Shantung dis
pute.
While it is true that China and
Japan are conducting the negotia-
tons the fact is the United States
and Great Britain are keeping an
eye on the negotiations ready to
| lend a hand and propose compro-
misses at the proper moment. The
affairs of the Far East always have
| been considered a matter for COM
mon action by the great powers but
| heretofore the existence of the An
| glo-Japanese alliance has impeded
international cooperation along
broad lines for it has associated two
of the powers so closely together
as to make it difficult for the others
to bring about concerted action. The