Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-11-19


to the Senate independently and
apart from any Far Eastern agree
ment. In this independent form the
Senate will adopt it unanimously.
AS to the Far East, the Hughes
program, probably will turn out to be
an agreement so informal and other
wise of such a nature, that it will
rot need to be submitted to the Sem
ate. At least it will not pc in such
a form as to excite senatorial OBJ
jections to alliances. The American
program on the Far East will prob
ably turn out to be a process of TAX
ing the ten requests already made by
the Chinese, of agreeing upon them.
or at least upon nine-tenths of them,
by all the governments; and the car
rying out Of this agreement, without
any formal doucment of such bind
ing nature that the Senate would
have to ratify it. In short the Amer
lean plan will probably avoid Senate
complications.
Apparently, there is still some diff
ference between the British and the
Americans about the details of the
Hughes plan on armament. This
difference affects not only the guam
tity Of submarines to be permitted
but affects a point, that is rather
the naval holiday shall be. From
the American point of view, the ces-
sation of building for period Of ten
years is fundamental. The Amer
leans want the psychological and
physical effect of the cessation. They
want the future and permanent eff
feet of the dismantling or disuse Of
naval ship building plants. The
Americans foresee that if they can
bring about a complete strangula-
ton of preparation for war the re-
suit will be that if anybody wants to
go to war it will be necessary to
overcome an almost insuperable in
ertia. The Americans think. in short,
that when the end of the naval holt
day comes it will be almost impos-
sible to begin over again. Some of
the British on the other hand, ap-
parently want to make this naval
holiday less complete. They want to
building plant at work, at least on a
skeleton basis, so that they will be
able to re-commence building more
readily if the need for new ships
should arise. The British point of
view is to tide over this period of
excessive cost and excessive taxation
but still be ready to begin again if
they should think the circumstances
call for it.
The Americans, on the other hand,
want building stopped and want it
stopped in such way that in all
likelihood it will never begin again.
The Americans will stand pretty
firmly on this position. They may
be willing to shorten the term of the
naval holiday down to fewer years.
but they will insist on it's being
complete as long as it lasts. On this
point, as on all other points, there
is nothing more obvious in Washing
ton than the increasing disposition
of all the foreign delegations to ac-
cept the Hughes programme. 1t
ought to be possible for the agree
ment on the Far East to be made
public within 10 days, and it ought
to be possible for the conference to
end within a shorter period than has
generally been Anticipated.
II the conference did not over
shadow everything else, some of the
other things that have happened in
Washington in the last "a hours or
SO would occupy bigger head lines
than they have had. The rejection of
Hardins's request about taxation by
tho lower house of Congress is
sensational event which will have far
reaching echoes in American politics.
especially in the congressional and
senatorial elections of next year. the
preparations for which will be under
way in a fsw months. 1t was doubt
full tactics for Harding to send his
retter to Fordney. Fordney was not
the strongest man in the world for
Harding to tie up to. Fordney, like
several other Republicans who have
the powers of leadership, does not
stand as high in Congress as his po-
sition on the ways ard means COM
mittee would seem to indicate.
There will be a lot Of aftermath to
all this.
Also the matter OF whether Sen
ator Newberry of Michigan is to be
seated or oustcd would be recog-
nized as more interesting and more
CRITICAL if ofoi Ic nf
overshadowed by the conference.
One incident of yesterday that al
most escaped the attention of the
newspapers is of far reaching i'm
portance. President Harding issued
an executive order giving to Direct
or of the Budget Dawes a degree of
authority second only to his own.
The order says that the director OF
the budget is acting for the presi-
dent, land his calls upon the chiefs
Of bureaus and other administrative
officers for purposes of consultation
or information take precedence over
the cabinet head of a department or
any head of an independent organ
ization."
If all the implications of that or
der were understood it would be
recognized as one of the most i'm
portant departures in our. govern
ment that has happened for long
time.
Copyright, 1921 by NY. Evening Post Inc)
Senate Sounds Knell
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