Evening star., 1921-11-02
FAR EAST QUESTION
ARMS PARLEY cRUX
Japanese Problem Declared
Chief Motive for Calling
of Conference.
ny DAVID LAWRENCE.

a, .i-niacant articles, Mr.. Law
renee tells why the United states
considers the alliance between
Japan and Great Britain as men,
ace 10 America, and the ins,ue
story of how the coming ,enad eo
ference on armament happN
to be called)
The United states has never hheu
the Anxlo.Japanese alliance. Repuo-
lican and democratic administrators
alike have felt that alliances oiiS
lad to danserous MISUNDERSTANDING.
Europe has revealed the miscn'eA
which a system of alliances oe'ei'p''
The formation of an alliance IN CEN
fra, Europe between Germany aus
tria Hungary and Italy was oHse'
,r,v h., an entente cordiale between
Great Britain, France and husS'a
led to war.
Rut the objection to the Anglo
Japanese alliance has not been mere
Iy that 1t sets up England, the great
est naval power in the world as ID d
working partner OF Sapan psavinp in
recent recent YEAR Years some troublesome dis
putes. It is that, spurred on oy tne
knowledxe Of such a partnership
the Japanese have assumed an at.;-
tude toward China wherein amer,
can, French, British. German anu ha
permanently injured. or course, course aps lot
The moment, Germany and Russia are
ont OF 1t; but essentialiS II Is tne
grouping Of Europe and America on
the one hand and Japan on tne 9tne, 9,,rn.
would England stand by her Euro
mean friends and her American kins-
men and would she. bring Japan
within the circle of international
concord and compel her milltaayy :
leaders to refrain from acts Thiu., |1iun
and eastern Asia? Would England
helm or hinder the task OF making;
Japan play the game on a plane y,
equality with other nations: "oulu
Japan pledge herself to help restore
the sovereignty OF China. % %~nicn haS
become the catspaw OF natlons
Left to America.
Great Britain has insisted that her
alliance prevented her from making
protests to Japan. 1t has been lett
to the United States alone to keep a
yi1ilant eye on Japanese pretensiohs'
The crisis came at the time the 70 20
minion premiers were In session, ne ne
British government didn't want 70
offend Japan by publicly refusing 70
renew the Anglo-Japanese alliance
What would be the good OF that. II
was argued? 1t would only drive
Japan into an attitude of hostllity
Russia or helpless Germany. she
need only be concerned about Great
Britain and the United States. tlnan-
cially distressed as is the British en-
pire, Japan might feel herself capaole
of going it alone in the far east.
D-Sk f~n
domestic troubles to disturb Japan
pretensions, while the United States
was not inclined to go to war over
China's plight. She was too far away
and her people already sick Of war
expenditure. Japan. however. had
expended little money during the
war and was near enough to China
to offer the Japanese imperialist
golden opportunities for commercial
gain by exploiting China.s resources.
Great Britain counseled against
the. abrupt cancellation of the Anglo
Japanese alliance. Couldn't some
other way be found to accomplish
the same end and at the same time
prevent Japanese aggression? Di-
plomacy moves in strange ways its
wonders to perform. Couldn't the
United States lend a helping hand!
Sentiment Against Arms.
Just about the same time that the
imperial conference was meeting in
London and the premier Of Canada
was expressing himself frankly on
the subject of renewing the Anglo
Japanese alliance, public sentiment
in the United States was being mar.
shaled in favor OF reduction OF
Armament. Senator Borah's pleas
were being needed. The tax burden
was SO heavy that the calling OF an
armament conference to stop the race
in armaments was advocated on every
side. President Harding didn't favor
the Borah resolution because 1T limit
ed the conference merely to Great
Britain, the United States and Japan
He insisted that it ought to include
all the major powers.
Then it was that an unwritten bht
si4nificant chapter developed in Lon
don. President Harding admitted
publicly that he had been sounding
out the powers on the subject of an
armament conference. Ambassador
Harvey was intrusted with that mis-
sion. America wanted an armament
something done about far eastern
problems, she was anxious that a
graceful way be found to lead her
out Of the dilemma in connection with
the removal Of the Anglo-Japanese
alliance. Tho alliance, 1T had been
decided. would remain in effect for
at least a;aas1 another year hrosteT OF even more
What more natural thing than to
have Prime Minister Lloyd George or
Lord Curxon, foreign secretary, sit
down with Ambassador Harvey and
say something like this to him:
why call . conference on arma-
ment when we know that we cant
reduce our navies till there is an