New-York tribune., 1921-07-24
To Revise the Treaty?

To Revise the Treaty?
Canadian View of the Approaching
Washington Conference
fFro~r TIE Rentrssi Duay Seav)
fhe world is beginning to wake up to
me fact that President Harding, with
his astute Secretary of State, Charles
E. Hughes, constitutes new and force
full factor most decidedly to be reeA-
oned with. The legend that Harding
was an innocuous and second-rate poll
tieian, forced on the country by the
Republican machine" is dying very
rapidly. While he has his limitations,
he is clearly public man Of courage,
initiative and sagacity. and the indi
cations are that he will accomplish
much more toward shaping the course
Of human events than did his rhetori-
cal predecessor.
At all events, he will not chase will
o'-the-wisps. he will keep his cook
end businesslike eye very firmly fixed
on practical objectives. He will not
fritter away the enormous power at
present possessed by the United States
"a new power partly resting on pres
tigc won during the war and partly on
her supreme financial and economic
position-in striving to plant IN TEX
celsior" banner on. any impossible
mountain peak. He will aim rather. to
conserve and shrewdly direct that great
power toward securing for the United
States tangible and material adrAn-
tzgrs. s-~s.
When his proposals for idlssrrha
rnent and Pacific Ocean conference were
first published the fear was expressed
that it might displace the League Of
dents Of the situation realize that it
may lead to q rewriting of parts OF the
Treaty of Versailles. 1t is no little tea
party that the President proposes for
next autumn in Washington, but some
thing not very unlike q new Congress
ests are involved-to review the pro-
visions of far more august Treaty OF
San Stcfano
Japan has been quick witted enough
to sense this at once. This is undoubt-
edly the real reason for her hesitstion
to engage in an undefneds and .urre-
stricted discussion of Far Eastern
questions. The peculiar conditions
which prevailed in Paris enabled Japan
to win several important diplomat,
victories there, with which she ia nata
rally we'll satisfied Just as naturally
she is not at ali eager to imperil th<
: results of these victories by re-subrrft
! ting the questions then 1t issue to An
: other conference where conditions
might, not zgain SO greatly favor hel
: diplomacy.
But it is altogether likely that, aftA,
careful consideration and having put
something like protest on record
Japan will see that she has no choice
She may have won in Paris, bui
neither she nor any other signatory OF
!. taat treaty won in Washington. And
IL is idle to pretend that even SO po.
tent and repre- sentative body as the
Taris Peace Conference could finally
: dispose OF international issues affect
ing the United States without the con
stnt Of that nation.
: So if the United States is minded
{ to revise the Treaty of Versailles St
Tar as it affects the Pacific Ocean th'
other nations interested might as wei
: consent with a smile The world hat
the very real misfortune to neSotiat
8 g, Paris with megalomanisc who too
y none of the obvious precautions Z
u the American nation. He has paid tn
y price-and tragic price it is. Tn
: innocent world must now pay anothe
= price; and it might as we'll do SO wit
We the British peoplesl will ente
this modern Congress of Berlin" a
) peace-makers, pure and simple. W
4 have no challenged interest in tn
3 Pacific or the Neax East for vhie
: we would fight the United States Q
e Japan. We want our friend and ou
o ally to get together. If there is to b
= an "honest broker" at this Congress,
1t it Will be the. British representative
d In the mean time there is no sens
e in making faces at Japan. She ougs
Z to be enabled to come to the conferenc
a with the feeling that she will get
= fair deal. She ought not to be soure
r into suspicious attitude at the yer
d outset by the spectacle Of her ally, Q
re any member Of the grorp OF nation
IS which make up her ally, serving publ
n notice on her that she enters the cor
ference chamber without friend.
What is wanted-vhat the Amer
cans should wants a settlement ths
will settle; not sham and superfici'
:, settlement" which will send Japan
= chagrined and ranking under the san
~ feeling Of injustice she suffered whe
- the European powers robbed her {
the fruits of the Chinese War, onl
* to gobble them up themselves--wi
~ =. send her to seek other allies ION th
:. make" which she might possibly fin
- in Moscow, Berlin, Angora, Teher,