Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1921-11-23

are but two world powers, and that
the Washington conference is really an
effort to reach an agreement between
these two, whcih will stabilize interna-
tional relations enough to permit the
reduction Of naval ornaments, is the
view held by many of the best Informed
observers.
The two powers, Of course, are the
United States and Great Britain.
Franco and Italy are powers in Europe
but in their present condition, neither
Of them can alone exert decisive IN
fluence upon world affairs. Japan is
the one Asiatic power, but she is not
world power if she stands alone.
Her important part in the interna-
tional affairs Of the last 20 years has
been made possible by her alliance with
England.
The public is prone to regard the
conference as an effort to make war
impossible by agreements for the re-
duction of ornaments to the point
where the nations will not be able to
fight. As matter of fact, disarma-
ment is minor phase of the confer
ence. Military disarmament probably
will not even be discussed. Naval arm
aments will at most be limited in such
way as to reduce the burdens of tax
alton and perhaps pave the way for
further reduction at some future time.
But such a reduction would not make
war impossible or even much more i'm
probable than it now is.
There are in the world certain forces
Of military and economic imperialism
which make for war. They are present
in all of the countries represented Mt
the conference except China. But in
some other countries they are more
clearly dominant than in others. To
curb these forces is the real object
Of the conference, or at least, its best
hope of taking a step toward insuring
peace. The conference will be another
great exhibition of diplomatic horse
trading, like the meeting at Versailles,
but it need not be as futile as that
one was. 1t cannot hope to make war
impossible. 1t is even among the pos
sibilities that it will precipitate war.
But it is also among the possibilities
that it will be setback for imperial
istic ambition in several quarters, that
it will check naval building, and that
it will establish ap equilibrium in world
affairs which will make another world
war improbable for long time. Dur
ing that time the revulsion Of men
against war, which has been slowly
growing since the Middle Ages, will
have chance to grow stronger still.
The growth of this feeling is the only
thing that can ever really prevent war.
Governments inevitably make wars,
but when the common man refuses to
fight them or pay for them, the gov
ernments will be disarmed, indeed.
One of the countries in which the
or war making feeling is
most clearly dominant is Japan. The
fact is recognized and admitted upon
all sides. Japan has enforced her will
in Manchuria and Siberia. She has
seized Shantung and imposed her p
points upon China. These moves are
clearly the beginning of course of
economic and military imperialism in
Asia which would inevitably cause an
other war, sooner or later. Further
more, this course on the part of Japan
is inimical to the United States, be-
cause this country is committed to
policy of maintaining the open door
Iequal economic opportunity for all
in China, and of insuring Chi
mas national integrity and autonomy.
This policy is embodied in the Hay doc
trine 1t has been assented to by prac-
tically all of the other nations in words,
but it has been violated by all of them
In deeds, and especially by japan, with
the support of Great Britain. The
United States must either check this
of her traditional policy with
regard to China or else she must with
draw entirely from the Pacific, leaving
China to her fate.
There are some pacifists who appear