Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1921-07-24
COVENANT WILL
Be ARRIVED At
BEHIND DOORS
No Time Will Be Lost,
However, in Publish
ing Agreements.
War Might Be Result
of People Knowing
All That Is Said.
BY ROBERT T. SMALL
Special Correspondent of The Tribl

Copyright, 1921. by The Tribune
Washington, July 23.-Once more
the diplomatic impossibility of openly
arriving at open covenants is forcing
itself upon the attention of the Wash
ington administration and any idea
that the disarmament and far eastern
eonference to be held in this city in
November is to be town meeting
affair with the representatives of the
United States, Great Britain, Japan.
Italy and China, wrangling across
table and shaking mailed fists at each
other in full view of the assembled
multitudes, with overworked inter-
prefers dashing off the details of the
diatribic debate to a corps of three or
four hundred correspondents in the
nngside seats, must be dismissed for
all time.
The day Of the secret covenant ad-
mittedly is past, whether the League
among the subscribing nations, ever
functinos or not. Thus no time will
be lost on making public any agree
ments reached or treaties negotiated
during the Washington conference.
But to arrive at agreements or to
negotiate treaties in a convention hall
open to the public is thing that
simply can't be done.
Not Feasible.
1T would be just about as feasible
to admit the public and the CORE
spondents to tn actual conferences
among the powers as it would be to
permit them to sit in at discussion
of the judges of the supreme court
of the United States celebrating
decision on some all important case"
said an official of the administration
Saturday. Think of the conflicting
reports that would 60 from the judges
chambers as the discussion proceeded.
One correspondent would insist that a
certain remark indicated clearly that
the decision would be thus and so.
Another would interpret it from an
entirely different angle. The result
would be that before a decision ac-
tualIy was reached the public would
be disturbed and demoralized to a
disastrous degree.
Undoubtedly if three Or four hun
dred correspondents were permitted to
hear all that was said on the prob
lems of vital interest affecting the
nations being brought together in the
Washington conference and to send
the debates abroad with their own
nationalistic Interpretation attached,
the conference, instead of resulting in
disarmament, might plunge the whole
world into new war in less than
10 days.
President Not a Member.
The conference concluded this
official, will make its own rules.
President Harding will not be a mem
Der of the conference and will not at
tempt to dictate to it what it shall
dc in the matter of publicity, for he
knows full well the difficulties that lie
in the way of giving out all the pro-
ceedings prior to an actual agreement
However, it would seem at this time
that the methods of Paris may prevail
again. In other words, there may be
open plenary sessions, which the pub
lie may attend. A daily communique
giving a summary of the matters un-
der discussion and reporting such
progress as has been made, may be
issued
Meantime the preparations for the |
meetings of the nations are proceed
ing satisfactorily" according to White |
House authority, and Europe is look |
ing to the conference to hit far |
wider scope and a far wider Influence !
on world affairs than the announced |
purposes for which it was called.
Clearly the impression has swept |
around the world that the discussions |
are not to be limited to disarmament
and the problems of the Pacific 1t is
realized that Pacific problems in any
eveut are world problems and that
airy discussion, for instance Of the
Yap and Shantung affairs. would open