The Mena weekly star., 1921-11-17


 In all, sixty-six big fighting
 ships to be scrapped.
 Americas sacrifice represents
 ships actually under process of
 construction, while British and
 Japanese building programs still
 are largely on paper.
 Washington, Nov. 12.-America, by her audacious proposals for cutting naval armament to the bone, has made a master bid for the public opinion of the world to follow her leadership in the more intricate problems of the Washington conference when the far East questions are preached.
 It is open diplomacy with a ven geance, daring beyond excited dreams, and made all the more sensational by the unexpectedness with which Hughes launched it.
 The nations expected the United states to advance it's program first. This country called the conference and is sponsor for it. It is a dual confer ence--on armament and on the Pacific as has so often been pointed out. Hughes has said several times, as he reiterated today, that his posi- tion is, the two questions should be considered side by side, at the same time. The public interest, here and abroad, is in armament reduction rather than the intrigues of oriental policy.
 A Smashing Stroke at Start.
 What Hughes did today was to smash the world between the eyes with a most startling program at the very first of the conference.-the part where the real hopes and aspirations of the average man in all the nations is most vitally concerned. In that moment he lifted the Washington barley from just conference to the biggest thing in the world to the greatest number of people.
 "This conference has been called, not for general resolutions or mutual advice, but for action" said MT. Hughes. And if he had stopped there, the world would have applauded the fine sentiment, with more or less apathy, waited for the barley to evolve something concrete in it's own good time, and gone about its busi- ness.
 Americas Best Kept Secret.
 Instead, MT. Hughes proceeded to seize the situation by the tail by startling the world with the sheer daring of the American proposals. He went further than even the public ever anticipated he would. He went to the world with America's offer, not to the delegates alone. The course he had intended to pursue and the extent of reduction the American naval experts were prepared to recommend had been kept a close secret. And it was America's best kept secret.
 When Mir. Hughes outlined it in his legalistic fashion, as lawyer would read his brief, it is no hyperbole of excited imagination to say it sent high voltage electricity thru the con- ference, delegates as well as specta- tors. The suddenness with which he sprang it added to its sensation.
 Mir. Hughes sought to convince the world Americas good faith and in- tentions as to armament reductions in the most forcible way possible. He sought to show the United States was ready for action. Whatever happens to the plan in conference, whatever notifications experts will insist upon, the United States has shown her will lingness to do business. It is out in the open, plain, understandable, not only to the people of the United States, but to the world
 Secret Diplomacy Ruined.
 The sheer fact that the plan was a specific one, ship by ship, instead of an intricate formula twisted to suit the purpose or opinion of this nation or that, makes the American offer all the more forcible. In few words there will be naval reduction or the world will know the reason why and the country that stands in the way.
 By carrying it to the open-the American plan--secret diplomacy is smashed, as far as the naval side o1 the conference is concerned. The ex. perts will have their many confer. ences to go over this or that in pri. vate. There can be all the private pickering in the world over the plan in the next few weeks, but eventual. ly, when it comes back to the oper conference. the world will know all about it, especially if someone blocks it.
 It will know that putting forth a de. finite formula for naval reduction is quite a different matter from present. ing such a specific brief on the politi. cal and economic questions of the Fai East. In the case of naval reduction it was more or less a case of mathe. matics Go the general situation. fl matics to the beneral situation. II