The Washington herald., 1921-12-11

situation Was Critical.
No one can deny that the situa-
lion was tickIish enough in Thanks
giving week to justify such 4
maneuver.
The conference had entered on /
its second stage-the stage in which /
you get down to cases, trying to /
make realities of the noble senti- /
ments of the first or platform stage .
e-sud then there happened in the .
trtHsitiOn just what happened two
and Il half years ago in Paris. 1t is .
almost startling sometimes to an
observer here who was also an OBJ !
server Of the Paris conference to 1
see how the experiences of the two !
bodies parallel The moment the
Paris conference got down to work, /
that Is. resolved itself into commit
tees. shut the door 3 nd went at its !
tasks. there was an outburst of re-
monstrance. suspicspn and accusa-
ton
1t was secret diplomacy" There /
must be things go ting on that they /
were concealinE from the public. /
breaks in good will. The same thing /
happened here. the moment the con- /
ference set itself All its task There
was a rumor sTVead of sharp quar- |
rel between nv. l3alfOur and Mr.. |
Hughes on the way the discussions
in the committees were to be han
died. 1t was said that Mr.. Hughes
wanted everything that was voiced
put down: that nv BalfOur thought
p digest Of the discussions would be
sufficient This ru7nOr was followed
by the story of a n ugly scene in
committee between the presidents
of the French and the Italian dele
cations. Premier Eiriand and Sen
ator Schanzer. over the morals OF
the Italian army
Delegates Accessible.
Now. luckily. this conference has
been admirably arranged to scotch
vicious rumors There never has
been a great International gather
ing in which the PRESS was having
as real an opportu nifty to learn
what is going on. livery morning
there IS given out at press head
quarters "A list Of delegates who at
fixed hours will recei We the press.
The morning bulletin WI run some
thing like this.
IL a.im.-Lord Lee.
1880 a. m.-Ambassa dor Schan-
Eer.
? .. m.-Lord Riddell.
$3.50 p. m.-Secretary Hughes.
p. m.-The President of the
United States.
$50 p. m.-AdmiraI Kato
And SO on. Every day from to
opportunities are given to cor
respondents to question principals
Of the conference. How much they
get depends upon how mn CHI they
carry-how able they are to ask
questions-how sound their judg-
ment is of the answers they get
how honest their intent Is in in
terpreting. When ugly run1ors such
rs those which disturbed the second
week Of the conference life occur
this method Of treating the press is
OF real advantage to the powers
concerned.
COnv'nccs Correspondents.
1t wa "a Joy to see the way Sec
rotary Hughes. for instance, handled
the rumors. It is always a low
n see Mr.. Hughes when he Is
riGhteously indignant and he GER
tainly was so on the afternoon of !
November % He lunEed at once
Mt the report of the break between
himself and Mr.. BaIfour- The state !
rnent had no base but the imagina-
ton Of the writer. It was unjust !
10 Mr.. Balfour. who had been CO. I
operative from the start. To put /
him of all men at the conference |
in a position Of opposing the United |
States was most unfair.
There had been no clashes in |
committees. no QRaTels. There had /
OF course been differences in points
OF view, candid statements free ex-
plantations. but anyone with COM
mon sense knew that such exchange /
Of Views must take place. 1t was
fine, generous con vincinC answer
10 the ugly rumors and the beauty /
Of 1t is that,you believe Mr.. Hughes. !
You know that he Is not lying to /
you. l believe this to be the gen
erzl conviction Of the newspaper
men. He convincess them and they /
are all for him.
Runors Do Harm.
This is a real achievement for any |
man, for the press craft are haro /
to convince and quick to suspect. 4
Many Of them have been for years
in the thick Of public affairs, |
watching men go up and down: see
Ing heroes made and unmade; the |
incorruptible prove corruptible. One !
wonders sometime not that they
have so little faith. but that they |
have any. But they believe Mr. |
Hughes and when he denied De
rumors his word was accepted. but |
the rumors were out-had been |
cabled abroad and they were al I
ready doing their ugly work-bit- |
Ing right and left like mad dogs |
Sharp speeches were being made in |
london and in Paris: there was
riot and blOodshed in Italy. So Mr..
Harding has plenty Of justificati |
81 he did throw out his suggestion |
81 an association Of nations to di-
vert public attention.
However, there are other e,-
plantations OF his move. One Is that /
the experience of the conference to /
date has demonstrated clearly that !
the ornaments of the world cannot |
safely and wisely be handled bv |
nine nations. Moreover that land !
"a end sea ornaments cannot be con-
sifered as separate entities.
Mr.. Hughes included both\ pavies |
and armies on his program and in |
his legalistiC fashion he has been
taking up questions in the order IN |
which they were laid down Both |
The public and the press. however.
have seemed to have lost sight at |
times. Of the agenda. Early in the
conference they jumped to the con-
clusion that all would be over here
when England. Japan and the