The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-04-15
by DAVID LAWRENCE.

Sign Portions of Document.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
| Especial Despatch to The Reformer)
Copyright 1921.
WASHINGTON, April 15.-The
United States is slowly winning its way
in negotiations with foreign governments.
France has acceded to the American view
point on the status of the island of YapI
and there are indications that Japan,
| Great Britain and the other allies will
/ fall into line and agree to dispose of the
controversy by notwithstanding the IS
land.
! The significance of what is happening,
i however, does not lie merely in the zap
question itself. Something broader is in
volyed 1t is the expressed willingness of
| France to be the close friend of America
! in shaping new foreign policy. Great
/ Britain has on more than one occasion
since the war manifested a desire to wOFk
/ hand in hand with America on matters of
| world politics and the Harding message
! to congress is known to have provoked in
formal approval among the diplomats gen
| orally.
Hughes Doing Nicely
\ Secretary Hughes is handling the deli
cate negotiations with splendid eclat and
\ perseverance. Although he is not being
\ quoted in the newspapers every day and is
careful about the comments that are
authorized for publication, he is giving
II the Washington correspondents a rare eX
ample of frankness III dealing with the
press. Mr.. Hughes prefaces his remarks
usually with the injunction that he Is
not to be quoted, but he discusses QueS-
lions with amazing freedom and with a
CLARITY that leaves no room for miSunder-
standing. Just the other day somebody
asked him to comment on note that had
been received by the United States gov
eminent. The communication itself was
obviously agreeable to our government,
but Mr.. Hughes pointed out that he did
not want TO start n precedent of comment.
| Cases might arise he thought. which might
not bc so favorable and il he failed to
comment his silence would be regarded
as significant and perhaps a meaning
given to the incident that would be un-
warranted.
To Coordinate Bureaus.
II There has been a good deal of trouble
about press agents and publicity and
i propaganda. There viii be no such trOu-
BILE under Mr.. Hughes. He Is his own best
4 / spokesman. He gives the slant to the
news of the day that he feels should be
u given. But his most signal service Is IN
foreseeing possible grounds for misunder
I standing. He can see in question asked
Il by correspondents further ahead some
times than the newspaper men themselves
: y case IN point was rumor that the en-
tire state department was soon to be re
4 organized. Mr.. Hughes admitted that
such j plan was in contemplation. but
4 the thought flashed through his mind N
Il once that even such an admission might
q be the basis of speculation and disturbing
n stories about personnel He quickly OK
NJ planned that supervisory personnel was
" all that could be dcsired-that in Under
Secretary Fletcher, Assistant Secretarie,
8 Deering and Bliss, and Director Carr o
a | the consular service, the department hat
q a splendid group of experts but that what
ii | remained to be done was Co-0rdnatlHg tn,
M | work of the bureaus and tying together
n certain activities that We're related e
8 each other, but were separated at present
Handles Hard job Well
n Mr.. Hughes appears to be we'll salts
M fed with the progress made in the negO
III tiations thus far with foreign govern
81 mentS. The department of state has hat
q a difficult job-taking up the threads o
a tangled international situation. Blu
Il President Harding and Mr. Hughes hav
II talked over the whole field of foreign af
M fairs and Mr.. Hughes knows the carolina
M principles. With the same zeal and en-
u thuSiasm which have characterized hi
s. handling of big legal problems in the past
81 Mr.. Hughes tackles each question in iii
u plomacy with a rapidity and thorough
Ill ness that have already produced a favor
III able impression throughout the nationa
u capital. 1t is not unusual to find earl
q enthusiasm 50 quickly justified.
3 First Triumph Arrives.
The note from France is the first tri
mi umph. France admits that the handing
a out of mandates in the past was rattle
* haphazardly done The French have gou
81 further in their informal oral expression
81 than in their note. They have sal
Is frankly that they didn't think it was be
# coming of the great powers to take advan
M tage of Americas absence from the confer
u ences by giving away territory withou
u the express consent of the United States
There is as vet no acceptance or rejection
- of the principle stated in the America
circular note, namely, that the Unite
q States claims a voice in all matters grow
= ing out of the war, whether or not tn
q Versailles treaty is ratified. 1t Is unlike
8 that the allies will meet that queStio
e until they are obliged to do so. They wi
> cOntine their replies merely to the cas-
& i'm hand-the status of zap. As for tn
q rights under the treaty, Mr.. Harding
y message has rendered a controversy o
q that point. for the moment unnecessary. a
= the new administration now announce
& that it wishes to sign those portions of tn
y Versailles treaty which do not entangl
s America in ''inadvisable commitments
a concerning the future.
a League of Nations Taboo.
a In a nutshell things in the department
9 of state are moving along very well N
x deed. much better than was expected. An
= while the words league of nations ar
Il taboo observers are daily finding groun
= for the suspicion that just as the Ven
8 sailles treaty was finally regarded, aftp
q careful examination by the Harding az
y ministration, as an inescapable basis 70
X foreign policy. so will the existing leagu
d be found basis for the association {