The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1921-11-16
ARMS DOCUMENT
MAY Be CHRISTMAS
GIFT THE WORLD
Conference Expected to
Be ''Out of Trenches"
By That Time.
By FRANK H. sIMoNDs.

we shall get the conference out
Of the trenches by Christmas"
This forecast was made to me to-
day by a high government official
who had full cognizance of all that
has happened and all that IL is
planned to do. This in itself is a
final proof that there will be no Far
Eastern pronouncement comparable
with that on disarmament of last
Saturday, and that those who have
to handle that complex question are
fully satisfied there will be no dan
gerous tension.
AThis means in substance, more
over, that the conference has now
become a committee or a series Of
committees who are to deal with
the various questions before the as
sembly. The statements of the Brit
ish and japanese representatives to-
day indicated that there will be
modification in the American pro-
gram as presented. but they gave
assurance that in the main the ac-
eeptance was conceded in advance.
Main DRAFT Is Task.
The hardest work that now lies
ahead is the preparation of the
document which will embody the
agreements, and in view of the
technical character Of the subject
and the extraordinary number of
details, the drafting Of this docu-
ment promises to be one of the
gravest problems ever faced by the
makers Of state paper. With the
first two open sessions of the con-
ference, over. there is every reason
to believe that even the technical
work will not suffice to delay the
delegates beyond the Christmas
holidays or produce the confusion
and disappointments Of Paris, where
all the high hopes had faded long
before the Treaty of Versailles be-
came a fact.
summarizing briefly what seems
to be In the minds of the American
delegation, one may believe that Mr..
hughes and his associates have re-
solved to, do the one thing that It
was possible to do; to do 1t as
clearly and as promptly as possible.
ana to make the doing of 1t the con-
tribution OF the Washington confer
enee to international peace and
solidarity.
In their minds the Washington
conference is no more than the
beginning, an example. A success
ful Washington conference is not
the solution Of all the world. prob
lens. 1t is only the beginning,
ana q modest beginning, Of such
a solution. It Is an experiment
made with faith and confidence. The
question Of the limitation of naval
ornaments Is perhaps the only
question. in the world which sup
piled a chance for a concrete be-
ginning. The Agreements on this
subject are to be. after all, the
main. if not quite the exclusive,
ering.
With the translation Of the con-
ference into committees It neces-
sariiy goes underground for the
moment. Probably the next i'm
portant public session will be one
az which the prime minister of
France win be asked to make the
presentation Of the French views
OF the limitation Of land arma-
ments. which 10 the chief message
M Briane brought here. No one
believes that after his explanation
any serious effort will be made to
discuss the question Of the limita-
tion Of rland armaments. but it is
recognised that his countrynen ex-
pect Of him such a statement as
shall clarity American opinion on
French conditions and necessities.
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