The New York herald., 1921-11-15
BY EDWIN c. HILL.

Special Despatch to THE New YORK HERALD.
New York Herald Bureau.
Washington, ID. Co.. Nov. ~.
Sobersides Boswell, Sam Johnsons
Tumulty. and first rate press agent
! for his demigod quotes the gruff doctor
as saying to beneficiaries Of his wisdom:
II have found you an argument; am
not obliged to find you an understand
| ing" Smiling Mr.. Hughes, having
caused the ideas of the conference 20
bristle like the quilts upon the fretful
/ porpentine, leaves the conference for
seventy-two tense hours with, in effect
SIMILAR hint.
In the twenty-four hours closing as
you read this that is precisely what
the delegates are endeavoring to do-hnd
the understanding" that shall cement
Americas astonishing offer into solid
international agreement. In the Pan
American Building hard by Memorial
Continental Hall committees of the con-
ference have toiled all day and will toll
far into the night. They are guarded
by marines This is because Washing
ton Is vexed by "cranks." not the
dangerous kind but the sort that devour
the time and energies Of busy men. The
delegates are at school over Mr..
Hughes's ideas, studying with the con-
centration demanded by a perusal Of
the news this morning of what the
people everywhere think Of these ideas.
We can leave them there while we talk
a little about them as personalities.
Hughes, crowned with the prestige of
the first decisive stroke, Is at present
the most important figure Of the con-
ference, the most talked aSout The re-
vival of fame In his case is extraordi-
nary. Five years ago. just off the
Supreme Court bench and running for
President. he seemed to many hopelessly
| aloof from the problems of the common
man. Worse. he was accused by null
titudes of being incurably prudent.
Suddenly, after four years of private
life, new Hughes emerges. one of the
most human" figures of the Cabinet,
bringing with him Jest and youthful
jollity"-a Hughes with all the biting
Eintellect Of the Old days, but mellowed
vastly. And he returns with puncn
in both hands, as the sport writer's say
1t Is saying in Washington that IL
you stand with your back to the White
House Hughes Is the biggest man in
sight
His prominence, his opportunity to
his post as our foreign Minister His
American colleagues. Root, Lodge and
| Underwood, await their opportunity.
| The belief Is that there is place in the
| scheme Of things for their special tall
cnts. Rost is looked upon as the mathe-
matician OF diplomacy. Born like New
ton, with a perfect comprehension Of all
the equations, he Is relied upon to take
ally counter proposition apart for an
accurate examination of the pieces.
Lodge sta' q for the Senate and the
reasonable A" rance of Senatorial ac-
ceptance of the conferences work. He
is also liaison officer between the con-
ference and the White House. Under
wood, preeminent democrat, fills an
obvious political role and contributes n
| kind Of affable intellect to the proceed
ings. Their team work is praised as
the sort that wins games. They are
carrying the American ball In one Of the
1 biggest ever played.
The japanese delegates. intensely In
teresting as individuals. attract more at
tention here possibly than any other
representatives. This is due not only to
the key position they hold In the con-
| ference but to the thoroughness with
which they are playing, outwardly at
least, the American game of open diplo-
macy. Their two headquarters, the en-
hassy and an embassy annex In Dupont
! Circle are crowded all day with visit
ors. political and journalistic.
Their big men. Kato. Tokugawa and
Shidehara, .al1 freely in frequent inter-
views, very accessible. They go every
where. see everything there is to be
seen. offer frequent entertainments. pro-
vide lavishly and are busy twenty-four
hours In the day. OF any one of them
It may be said: He is never less Mt
leisure than when at leisure Their
motto is 1--WE strive to please" Many
Of their parties are gay. They say 1T
was pleasant to see II. G. Wells with
his arm around the neck Of Admiral
Baron Kato at a recent one.
one wonders what interests them out