The Washington times., 1921-11-16
GERMANY'SSUM
SINKS BEHIND
ARMS HORIZON
Once Worlds Mailed Idol lgnor-
ed as Nations Plot Peace
fui Future.
BY MARY ROBERTS RINEHART.

Written Expressly for Universal Service.
| Copyright. 1921. Universal Service. Incl
Nothing is less dramatic than COM
plete harmony. Yet there were ele-
ments of drama in the conference yes
4 terday morning. II any nation present
had dreamed a dream Of great and in
| creasing power that dream was ended.
Those who had sat looking out over
the world and coveted found them
| selves, willy nilly,S obliged to relin-
| quish their ambition and think no
more In terms of the world.
| The same setting as before. but with
a brilliant sun; rather less tension; a
slight change In the seating, with
BRAND at the top Of the table, beside
the American representatives; more
women, and attention which on Sat
urday was focused on Mr.. Hughes
now directed toward the British and
the Japanese.
Mr.. Balfour rose. He spoke with his
peculiar hating delivery. and for a
time 1t seemed that he might be soft
ening the blow Of a refusal. He was
the first to take up the challenge"
The secret had been admirably kept"
when the blow fell" He spoke
of Great Brttain's necessities, and our
difficulty of understanding her posi-
ton; compared with our own immun-
lily. He was not lamenting the weak
ness OF their situation, however.
For moment or so things looked
ominous, but 1t developed that this
was Mr.. Balfour's method Of keeping
good news to the last; that Great
Britain meant to accept. and that she
would go even further, and suggest q
still greater reduction In submarines
Of size for offensive purposes.
The Proxy Orator.
He sat down and the interpreter
proceeded to translate his remarks into
rapid French. The interpreter is the
one consistently busy man in the con-
ference. At the end of every speech
he rises. like a jack-in-the-box, and re-
peats in French the words he has Just
taken down. He il no mean orator
himself. He makes II very real, adds
gestures. Is for the moment the
speaker he is repeating. Had he not
had paper in his hand he would un-
doubtedly have clutched at his lapels
I'm the Balfour manner, when he
translated the Balfour speech.
Admiral kato rose and commenced
to speak. There was a general bend
ing forward. amid complete silence.
But Immediately it was clear that his
English was practically unintelligible.
All, but wait moment. Was 1t Eng
fish? 1t was not. The admiral was
speaking In japanese. A general sub
siding back into chairs, and the low
murmur Of talk which comes with
every lapse into a foreign tongue.
His statement was brief, and the
Japanese interpreter rose. He rem
dered the statement into distinct.
rather staccato English, and the def.
niteness of that statement lost MOTH
ing by his delivery OF it, The jap
anese disclaimed any desire toward az.
gressive warfare. They recognized the
superior right OF Great Britain and
America to a larger percentage of
naval armament, and Japan, too, stood
ready to sign on the dotted line.
From Japanese to English to
French was the way NJ. BRAND re-
ceived that message.
Among Those Present.
SO 1t was done. and aggressive war.
fare Is m a very low state indeed to-
day, and about to die, unless the ply.
sician experts who are called in dis
agree, in which case the patient may
get well again.
Outside of the pregnant facts Of
Japan's and Great Britain's accept.
ance, the interest yesterday lay large
ly in the colorful assemblage. In the
white-haired and fine-faced Chinese,
who evidently understood French,
and Japanese, and who nodded at each
vital point in every address. In the
representatives of the London Daily
m xuh 10