The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-11-17
Washington Entertains The World
BY FREDERICK J. HAskIN

WASHINGTON, D. c., Nov. IL
Washington. politically, the most i'm
portant capital in the world, in actual
physical aspect is but a village COM
pared TO the capitals of other great
nations of the world But crowded in
to this village right now are the great
est brains of the great nations, at
work trying TO reach such an under
standing that hereafter when interna-
tional disagreements arise, the re-
course will not be to battle
For weeks delegation after delega-
ton has poured into Washington with
all of their attendant experts, clerks,
and attaches. AS they have come,
somehow or other they have been TAX
en- in and made comfortable. The city
was pushed to its greatest limits when,
war came, and an army of clerks had
to be assimilated Despite every eff
fort since then, Washington's popula-
ton has remained about at the high
peak reached few years ago.
But Washington is used to taking in
bigger crowds than it is equipped to
handle Inaugurations have taught
people here that there is always room
for everyone. These have been brief
affairs, of course, but the problem now
is the same one On larger scale and
for greater duration.
For many days preceding the actual
formal opening of the conference, the
official reception committee of the
State Department has virtually slept
in its Respondent high hats. The
lives of these men became a seeming
ly endless succession of going to the
Union Station, greeting incoming
statesmen and experts, conducting
them to luncheon or some other for
nal affair arranged in their honor,
seeing them safely ensconced in their
Washington habitations, then starting
the whole round over again for other
guests,
The State Department put the ar
engagements for the conference into
the hands of Henry P. Fletcher, Under
Secretary of State, and former Ambas-
sador to Mexico. General direction of
the whole great occasion is in Mr. Flet-
cher's hands, an enormously difficult
Job requiring the delegation of a
great deal of authority to others.
At first blush. it appeared that
Washington did not have enough
houses and apartments unoccupied to
enable the whole delegation TO stay in
Washington. The Post Office De-
ment was called upon, though and
Washington letter carriers, in their
daily rounds, checked up and discover
ed some 500 unoccupied houses. The
addresses were furnished the State
Department, and have proved of great
help.
How Delegates Are CHARTERED
The main delegation and principal
experts for the most part have taken
over the whole sections and main
floors of hotels. In some instances
washington mansions which will not
be used by their owners this season
were obtained. The hundreds OF
clerks have been reused through the
cooperation of the Post Office Depart
ment, the Washington post office in
particular, the Chamber of Commerce.
and the real men here.
Next in Importance to the delega-
tons and their attaches came the
hordes of visiting newspapermen.
Many of these men have come half
way around the world in order that
readers of their papers the world over
will have first hand, eyewitness re-
ports of all that transpires in this,
most important international gather
ing.
As a link between the conference
itself and the newspapermen, regular
Washington correspondents as we'll as