The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1921-11-18
Gerard Appeals For Open Sessions At
 Arms Conference
Slimy Snake of Intrigue = Is Opposed To Secret Sessions Such As Were Held At Yer sailles.
By JAMES w. GERARD.

(Former Ambassador to Gerrnany.) f(Copyright 1921, by the International , News Service.1
 Washington, Nov. 1S-It Is to be ehoped Secretary Hughes will not lose 5sight of the immense advantage given Shim by the open methods initiated at &the first session of the conference. EThe bright light of publicity will sfdrive out the slimy snake of intrigue Band Self-intereSt. We want Hughes Fin the open-not others in whom we Ehave not the same confidence behind eclosed doors.
 The questions before the conference ! are to be decided by great peoples Ewho have as nudh right to hear the E. Ediscussions affecting their future, stheir lives and their fortunes and ! those of their children and chtldrec's 1 children as they have to public ses- sions of the court-and it has long been considered in every land that , publicity in court procedure spells | justice.
 Star chamber methods prevailed at /! Versailles. Let us have light in Secretary Hughes proposition is accepted in principle by Britain and | Japan. Now comes the gnawtng ; criticisms. the proposed amendments. , Will these nuliify the original plan? [ Probably not. We may take it as l settled that there is to be some agree i inent for holiday in naval construc- : tion.
 Meantime and while the delegations i of America, Great Britain and Japan prepare propositions for the solution ] of the questions of the Far East. the i French delegates are at work on the ! problem of how they can best intro- : duce their demands before the con ference. These demands are bound : up with the question of Germany. i Personally I think that the indemnity ! placed on Germany is far beyond the i power to pay of that country, : France had nothing, has nothing,
 he 1-ir of reN-r1r ro1e ant i now in power, or rather in office. In i Berlin-that government is not mili- l taristhc and I believe that under such
 government Germany would grad . uaily be Iiberalized and become in : thought and in political feeling some ! what like our own United States ] however disciplined, may be madden ! ed by financial ruin-by the prospect ! of for years paying great annual tri- i bute to another nation like the slave i; erected by Assyrian conquerers and :, the tearng away of part of Germa Silesia has given the mTltarists of the : old system a peg on which to hang
 their helmets-an excuse to stir up
 hatred revenge and the spirit of i war
 a more forg1v1ng as well as more dip-
 lonatic spirit.
 They were against the par ation ot
 Silesia and it is the French who are
 tOday the naIlOn most hStIeo MI 1Si
 many.
 We have great admiration, a great
 sympathy for France, but it is oul
 traditional policy not to make Flu
 ropean alliances. and in view of the
 irritation of Germany by certain
 French statesmen, our people vii
 probably in no uncertain manner in
 dicate that it is not our affair to ally
 ourselves with France against Ger ., many whether under the guise of ar
 agreement or "protecticn'' or other
 wise.
 Nor do I think that another prop
 osition which the French delegation
 may possibly advance will meet witl
 feyor France, having placed a tot ogreat indemnity on the back of Ger many and finding that Germany can not pay may offer to remit part of al
 indemnity which it is now plain can
 not be collected, providing we remi the debt which France owes us. Her again it is probable that our pe'op1 will feel that our fortunes are not s bouY,d with Germany, that our polio, l win regard to the debt owed us b, I France should be governed by tn
 ysoIfcv of France toward Germany.
 The French delegation will thel