Evening star., 1921-12-11
ARTHUR JAMES BALFOuR
For Great Britain.

Mr.. Chairman and gentlemen of
the conference: You have heard an
exposition by Senator Lodge Of the
contents of this treaty, admirable
in it's clarity. perfect in it's liter
ary\ form. and you have just heard
the way in which this treaty
strikes a great Frenchman in it's
world relations You have heard
the views, in an eloquent speech
by one of the greatest masters Of
eloQuence now living.
So far as l am concerned, I would
most gladly leave the matter in
their hands, for I have nothing to
add to what they have said
upon the general aspects of
the treaty. If l rise to occupy
your attention for one or two mo-
ments, it is not to deal with the
treaty in it's entirety. but merely
to say something about one clause
in that treaty in which only my
friends from Japan and the British
delegation can regard themselves
as Immediately interested. al
though think it touches, in truth
and in reality, the interests of
the whole world. ~
Defends Alliance Aims.
You will have noticed that clause
4 provides that. when this treaty
receives its ratification at the
bands of the signatory powers.
that at that moment the treaty
between Japan and Great Britain
comes to an end. Now, I am per-
fectiy we'll aware that the treaty
between Great Britain and Japan
has been the cause of much search
ings Of heart, of some suspicious. of
good deal of animadversion in
important sections of opinion in
the United states, and I think that
attitude may at first cause SURPRISE
for certainly nothing was further
from the thoughts of the original
trainers of the treaty between ia
pan and Great Britain than that
it could touch in the remotest way,
either for good or for evil. the in
terests of the United States. The
United States seemed as remote
from any subject touched in the
original agreement as Chile or
Peru.
I think that was the original
+ view taken in the United States by
all sections of opinion. To what is
1t that the change of opinion is
due? 1 think 1T is due to the fact
that a state of international ten
sion did arise in the Pacific area
and I hope 1 may incidentally say
that it is now forever set at rest
but at all events it did arise in the
area of the Pacific ocean, and crit
les in the United States began to
say to themselves, why is there
this treaty between Japan and
Great Britain, what further inter-
est does it server" ".-......- -.
Recall Facts Of Origin,
. They cali to mind the fact that
it originally came into being on
account of the aggressive attitude
taken in far eastern affairs by
Russia and by Germany, and they
asked themselves. Is there any
further danger from Russia? Is
there any further peril to be fear
ed from Germany? And when
they answered that question, as of
course they were obliged to
answer it, in the negative, when
they perceived that the practical
objects for which the Anglo
Japanese alliance was brought into
being no longer existed, that his
tory had wiped them out, they
this treaty continued? May it
not, in certain conceivable
eventualfties, prove .hampering
and injurious in case strained re-
lations should become yet more
strained?"
understand that point of view,
but there is another point of view
which ! want you to understand,
and which even those who dis
agree with it will sympathize
with. There is no audience that
] would rather appeal to than an
American audience on the point 1
am just going to mention. This
treaty, remember, was not a
treaty that had to be renewed.
1tswas a treaty that ran until it
was formally denounced by one of
that the objects for Which the
treaty had been created no longer
required international attention.
Has, Served Purpose.
But, after all, that treaty or its
predecessors has been in existence
within a few days of twenty years.
1t had served q great purpose in
two great wars. 1t had stood the
strain of common sacrifices, COM
mon anxieties, common efforts.
common triumphs.
When two nations have been
united in that fiery ordeal they
cannot at the end of it take of
their hats one to the other and
politely part as two strangers p'-t
VINO travel together Tor q Few
hours in a railway tram. g. Sone-
thug more, something closer.
uniCes them than the mere words
Of the treaty, and as it were gra-
tuitously and without a cause to
tear up the written contract, al
though it serves no longer any
valid or effective purpose, may
lead to MISUNDERSTANDING in one
nation just as much as the MAIN
tenance Of that treaty has led to
misunderstanding in another.
So that Gefat Britain found IT.
self between the possibilities of
two misunderstandings mis-
understanding II they retained the
treaty, a misunderstanding If they
denounced the treaty-andf we have
long come to the conclusion that
the only possible way out of this
impasse, the only possible way Of
removing those suspicions and diff
1culties which are some Of the
greatest obstacles to that condi-
tion of serene peace which is the
. only tolerable condition after all
for civilized people, the only So
luton was that we should annul,
merge, destroy, as it were, this
ancient and outworn and unnecee-.
sart agreement, and to replace it