Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-07-28
HUGHES MAKES REPORTERS
BRIGHTEN UP ON ENGLISH

IlnCLly not a giving OIL lu1Ol lldl lOAA
by the British government.
Now that the incident has passed
it is obvious that a suggestion OF
that sort would have dug deep hole
for Great Britain's statesmen and
pushed them into 1t. Thew We're en-
gagged in negotiating a renewal of
treaty of long standing with Japan.
Washington was known to be not
precisely delighted at the prospect
of this treaty renewal. Washington
has believed, and has made no bones
of saying, that there are problems
in the Pacific which need attention.
Such as an open door into China, for
example. Great Britain's colonies
have rather sided with Washington.
Game as Club Gossip Only
If Great Britain had Informed"
there might seem to be certain
flavor of bad faith attached to the
informing. But she didn't. What
ever Mr.. Harvey or WhooZoo may
have heard in London came as club
gossip and no more. One may, of
course, wink the other eye. A wink
is never conclusive evidence save in
mixed company.
The reporters wanted to find out
how the preliminaries to the treaty
announcement were conducted. Their
curiosity became agony when Lord
Northcliffe, in his peculiarly quiet
almost MULTIPLICATION, suggested
that Lloyd George had tried to steal
few thunders from President Har-
ding. One gathers from Lord North
cliffe's statements and those of his
journalistic possessions that Mr..
Harding and Mr.. Hughes opened the
'lnformap' negotiations for the dis
armament conference. It began to
gather. weight. Great Britain and
her colonies wanted it, France wants
1t under conditions, Italy wants it,
countries is setting her feet upon
the path of that commercial pros
Peflty which accompanies peace.
Then, still assuming that Northcliffe
IS right, Lloyd George saw a chance
to put something over" He an
nounced that on a certain day he
would have an announcement to
make to parliament in regards to the
east and disarmament.
State Department Active
one lnfers that Mr.. Hughes is or
gained to protect himself in the
game Of diplomacy. Hardly had Mr.
Lloyd George made this statement
[nan Mr.: Hughes announced in
washington that at the direction of
the president he was about to ask
me powers, etc, to join, eft; Lloyd
George was to have made his stale
ment of a Monday and the Hughes
statement went to the press on the
precedlng Sunday evening after a
ment. Usually the department is as
noisy as a graveyard in the dark of
the moon of Sunday. The squirt
OF the Sunday referred to may have
Oeen occasioned by Mr.. Lloyd
Georges attempt to hairbrand Mr..
hughes disarmament critter. Or it
may nave hnln III ~O1af,x
hughes recognition of that powerful
Iact hrst unearthed by Theodore
ROOSEVELT, that more space is pro
durable on the first page Of a Mon
uay morning than on any other
morning of the week. But the re-
porters were not informed as to the
manner in which the negotiations
conducted. 0N-
They were very informal, in
DEED" said Mr.. Hughes, or something
IKE II. His words are not being
tnat they were, too informal even to
pc considered informal. They were
| navy, nebulous, cloudy and vague.
one gathers that two gentlemen sit
ing In club-a club which might
nave nave been in London, say, or Wash
tls oonMeaiked over the advisability
81 dls armament conference. Then
they talked with other people and
wrote chatty little notes to others,
Nothing formal. Nothing even in
formal Just little non-binding
peasant, social hour. But one re-
| meets that shirtsleeves diplomacy
may have seen its last as well as
its best days.
mat sort Of thing-this club COS
| SIP lnformaIity-swings right back
to the methods Of the diplomacy of
otner times. For the last few years
snlrt sleeves have been in vogue in
theory in American diplomacy. even
If they were not always worn in
practice. There is the priceless story
of the minister to a certain small
state who answered the ring at the
doorbe!l in person, attired in a strip
ed shirt and other essentials, the
day being warm. A goid3laced
chamberlain Of the court met him
The queen" said the chamberlain
desires your attendance at dinner
| this evening"
"Doggone it," said the minister
you tell the queen 1 can't come to,
h hlght' vt! ! got got sol, some friends from
During the Wilson administration
little was done by the ambassador
and ministers in Europe except al
the suggestion and with the assent
OF Washington. Usually they were
not permitted to do anything. TheV
were merely expensive messengers
who delivered state papers and in.
sisted on getting receipt. This
ambassador what it is desired be
done, and then permitting him tc
work in his own way, comes close tc
being the old-style diplomacy as
ever was. All the union ambassa.
doris and ministers in Europe work
that way. They spend their lives
gong TO country houses for week
ends, and frustrating the plans OF
pretty women and dropping in al
clubs. and having their papers stoI.