The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-09-13
Her RELOCATION to Consulta-
tive Position Pleases
the Japs
u. S. INVITATION
CAUSES SUSPICION
This Country Will Not Champion Any
Other Nation at Conference.-The East
ern Questions to BE Settled Before
Limitation of Armament.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE
Special Dispatch to The Reformer.l
I,..r,..r....l.A

NopA lslb l5-l- |
WASHINGTON, Sept. l3-Japan has
won her first big diplomatic victory, in
connection with the coming interna
tional conference at Washington. The
United States has decided to limit the
larger conference to Great Britain,
France, Italy and Japan, while reiegat
ing China to consultation position.
In other words, China will be called in
whenever her interests are being dis !
cussed but the rules of the conference, |
its problems and scope viii be laid
down by 20 men, the same being four
| representatives from Great Britain,
the United States, Italy, France and ia
pan, respectively.
| When it was first announced that the
| United States had sent an invitation to-
| CHINA to attend the Washington con
| terence, the Japanese wondered why the
| United states should put China on a
| plane of equality with the major powers.
| The japanese press seemed To see IN the
move desire on the part of the United
States to become the champion or
china, especially in the reopening of old
questions The American government,
on tile other hand, has from the hrst
sought to make il clear that the United
states is not entering the conference as
1 the CUdAAtt3lDH VI any tiilhiS bhI AitbNA
CionaI harmony and peace, and that, IN
solar SIS it is necessary to remove
sources of friction and possible causes
Iof war, America Is anxious TO examine,
along with other powers, all such con
,rosersies, whether they relate to Jap
Ianese- or Chinese pretentiOns.
Purpose of United States
| The United States named China in
the original announcement, because OF
| i conviction that no international con-
ference could be held on Far Eastern
Questions without consulting China.
| The immediate reaction In Japan, how
lever, to the first stories which linked
IChina with the great powers has been
lsuch As to cause the japanese to point
out in their press and otherwise that
| The interests of the conference would be
served if the major nations made the
rules of the conference, and invited
| from time to time other countries to
leXplain their views.
| It so happened that Holland and Bel
GUM were profoundly disappointed to
learn that China had been summoned,
whereas Dutch and Belgian interests in
4 the Far East seemed 10 be imnortant
enough to require the presence of com
Imissioners from the Netherlands and
Belgium. The United States handled
| :hat awkward situation as well as pos
| sible b. pointing out that whenever
| questions affecting Belgium and Hol-
/ ana were ulstuSSeu. REPRESENTATIVES,
| from those countries would be asked to
| attend the conference and listen to the
| proceedings and offer suggestions. ln-l
| deed, if a convention or protocol Is ,
| drawn to embody the conclusion of the
| Washington conference. it Is not un- /,
| likely that Belgium and Holland will be
| given an opportunity TO become party
| 10 the pact.
China in Preferred Position
While China is not to be a member |
of the main conference, she, neverthe-
| less. viii enjoy a preferred position
| over Belgium and Holland and other
countries, because, after all. the main
conference affect the territorial integ-i
rity and administrative independence of
China
There are those who believe that ia
nan win benefit by the exclusion of
China from membership in the main
conference, because the japanese will
be able through the secret proceedings
of the conference to express themselves
with respect to China, and there Will be
no one present from China to offer. ref-i
utation or 10 point out the disadvan-l
tages of the Japanese proposals. Onl
che other hand. it is contended that the
absence of China from the meeting OIL
,he principals. viii place a moral ohli-
ration upon all the other powers, in,
GLIDING the United states, to see TO iii
Stantlv safCguarded.
No Offense to Chinese
The Information that China would
not be party to the main conferencoI
was given out at the White Housed
without comment. The Chinese are mott
expected to take offensc at their exclu-
sion. because the principal object OF the
conference is limitation of armament.
The discussion OF Far Eastern ques-
tions, while very important. is after all,
I nratminary affair, and when AGREE
mcnt had been reached on Far Eastern
problems the conference will turn to
discussion of armies and navies. in
which, of course. China stands on II
footing with most small nations. 1t is
The purpose of the conference to take
into consideration the interests of
small nations, but none of them is ex
pcctcd to participate in the armament
conference.
Il, e