The Washington times., 1921-12-03

energies from the silence he has hith-
erto kept during the conference to
declare that this Association" II
only another name for the league"
On that we may differ from him.
Association and league are alike In
seeking to organize the peace of
the world. but in every other respect
they are different schemes, differing
in aims, scope and spirit.
The primary difference Is that.
while the league was very clearly
defined thing, planned complete from
the outset, a thing almost as pre-
else and inalterable as the United
States Constitution, the Harding prof.
ect is a tentative experimental thing.
capable Of great adaptations by trial
and corrected error, a flexible and ltv-
ing thing. that Is Intended to grow
and change in response 20 the needs
Of our perplexing and incalculable
world.
The Harding idea. as 1t is growing
up In peoples minds In Washington.
seems to be something after this
fashion: that this present conference
shall be followed by others having a
sort of genetic relationship to II. vary
ing In their scope, in their terms Of
reference, IN the number Of states in
vited to participate.
A successor to the present one seems
to be already imminent In the form OF
I conference on the economic and
financial disorder of the world. Such
| conference would probably include
;erman and Spanish, and possibly Rus
sian, representatives, and IT might
take on in addition to its economic
discussion any issues that this present
conference may leave outstanding.
These Washington conferences. II e
hoped. will become a sort of interna-
tional habit. will grow into world in
stitution, In which experience will de-
termine usages and usage harden into
a customary rule. They will become
by insensible degrees a world parlia-
ment with an authority that will grow
or decline with the success or failure
Of the recommendations.
One advantage of having these cx-
perimenIs made will occur at once to
those who have been present at the
plenary sittings of the present confer
ence. The method of trial and error
will afford an opportunity or work
| ing out the grave Inconvenience OF the
language difficulty. II is plain that,
with only three languages going
French. Japanese, and English-pro-
ceedings may easily become very
tedious; there is no true debate, no
possibility of interpolating a question
or a comment, no real and vivid dis
cussion. The real debating goes
on In notes and counter notes, in pre-
, arranged speeches, communications
| to the press representatives, and so
| forth. The plenary sessions exist only
| to announce or conform. They are
| essentially ceremonial.
Preparatory Committees.
In any polyglot gathering II seems
inevitable that this should be so. TIE
trainers of the League Of Nations
| constitution. with its council and
assembly seem to have been far too
much influenced by the analogy Ct
single-language governing bodies in
| which spontaneous discussion Is IRE.
quent and free. World conferences
are much more likely to do their actual
| work by translated correspondence md
by private sessions Of preparatory COM
| mittees. and to use the general meeting
| only for announcement, endorsement,
| and confirmation.
But the preparatory committees are
only the first organs developed by the
conference. Certain other organs are
also likely to arise out of IL. as Dsc-
essary to it's complete function. What
ever agreements are arrived at here
about either the Limitation Of arma.
merits or the permanent regulation o.
the affairs of China and the Pacific, II
is clear that they will speedily become
seed-beds of troublesome misunder-
standing and divergent Interpretation,
unless some sort of permanent body
is created in each case, with very wide
powers entrusted to 1t by the treaty
making authorities of all the countries
concerned, to interpret, defend and
apply the provisions of the agreement.
Permanent Commissions.
Such permanent commissions seem
to me to be dictated by the practical
logic of the situation. Quite apart
from the later conferences that Presi-
dent Harding has promised, a stand.
ing naval armament commission and =
Pacific commission with very consid-
cradle powers to fix things seem to
be a necessary outcome of the first
Washington conference.
But these two commissions will not
cover all the ground involved This
conference cannot leave European dis.
armament and the European situation
with it's present ragged and raw ends.
Nothing has been more remarkable,
nothing deserves closer study by the
thoughtful Americans than the fluctu-
atoms of the British delegation at this
conference with regard to Pacific
settlement.
aaa that tbat ohIa x.-r,to. ,,-~r