The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1921-11-16

Hughes who according to custom
and precedent will be chairman OF
the conference, stood at the other
with the delegates of all nations
seated between. Besides two hun
dred seats reserved for newspaper
| correspondents. the few seats when
remained after setting apart space
for the delegates We're given to high
government officials, members OF
diplomatic corps and distinguished
visitors. According to program. the
[! prospects were that the first ses-
sions would be brief.
When the conference has dlspos-
ed of its first business of orsanlZa-
ton such as the formal election Of
Secretary Hughes as chairman.
and the selection Of another
American as secretary general, 1t
will be faced with deciding to
what extent it's deliberations will
be open to the world through the
newspapers. There is great pres
sure Of public opinion for open
sessions; there is also great deal
of conviction among those respon-
sible for the conference that some
of it's deliberations necessarily must
be confidential. 1t was former
Premier Clemenceau who rem2rke /
to Former President Wilson: you
can't make peace on street cor
ner.'
American officials recognize the
public demand for information Of
the workings of the conference,
and they have said they will tr%'
to satisfy it in every way. They
say at the same time that some of
the conference proceedings neces-
sarily must be confidential. One OF
them who is in position to speak
with authority put it this way:
'sIf all these deliberations are
public there is the possibility that
somebody will not get up and say
what he ought to say because he
wouldn't want to say it in public;
there is also the possibility that
somebody will get and say some
thing he ought not to say, because
he yields to the temptation to say
it for public consumption. If the
delegates find that they cannot
get up in the conference and say
what they want to, say we soon
shall find them having back stairs
; conferences with a meeting 3 sec
retly and fixing it up They will
| have c. and y very much put out
because they We're not consulted.
and IN the end the whole thing will
be done secretly
The American delegates are
working TO find q way that will pre-
vent such a situation. The prob
ability is that a large number Of
the meetings Will be in the open
perhaps a greater number than the
/ public expects There will also
necessarily be committee meetings
in private, and Of course executive
meetings of the whole conference.
but the results Of those meetings
Will come out later in the open Ses-
sions.
The Official program as proposed
by the American government lists
| first the question Of armamentS
and second the Far Eastern and
Pacific questions. 1t may be that
the Far Eastern questions actually
will be discussed first III the con-
ference, possibly by some such
-, ans as this.
The question Of armaments will
finally be settled by the conference
only after receiving the reports OF
! experts. These will come only af-
! ter long work and discussion. But
TO get the subject into the hands
of experts it frs, is necessary to
bring it before the conference. 1t
might be brought up and referred
to committees and appropriate sec
tions, and then while they are al
work the conference might go or
with the discussion OF the Far East
ern and Pacific problems. This is
only one Of the suggested ways il
which IL might be done. The con-
ference, of course, will make the
decision.
In discussing the Far Eastern
and Pacific problems, the confer
ence will have s.raight-away
statesmen's subject. The experts
who have to wrestle with the ques-
ton of armament viii have a knot
" problem difficult Of approach
Their search is for yard-stick, as
it were-a common denominator
which can be applied to al the ma
tions, for the whole question OF
armament reduction is said by the
experts to be entirely question OF
relativity. There is doubt they say
that it will be put on flat rate
because of the we'll recognized anC
peculiar situation Of the various
nations. 1t couldn't be considered
from the viewpoint Of financial eX-
penditure, they say, because Of the
various values Of money in world
exchange and the variations in Ia
Dor costs and standards. It couldn't
be considered in number Of guns
the experts say, because science
! might make a small gun more de-
structive and efficient than a large
one. Neither could it be consider
ed in number OF war ships alone
the naval men say, because the
merchant marine which always is