Evening star., 1921-10-10
Editorial Digest
The Press at the Arms Conference.

"netnef OF nOt the sessions Of the
| conference on limitation Of arma-
ments are to be open to the general
public, 1t is the evident purpose of
| the American press that the eyes
and ears OF the entire country shall
be present In the person of an ade-
Iquate press representation, to which
| the proceedings of the conference
| shall at all times be available. Some
papers limit their stand for publicity
to "a reasonable Degree" others con-
tend that the STANDARDS of the for
! eign delegates in that matter must
be deferred to, even though the
American desire is for open discus
sion. and a few feel that 1T is wholly
a question fer the conference Itself
to determine But the majority OF
papers demand free field for the
journalists who cover the meeting,
| instead of the customary official COM
| muniques and diplomatic censor
ship"
"A committee representing not only
the several organizations of WASH
| inston Newspaper men, but a large
proportion OF the foreign Journalists
who Will come to America from eli
| parts of the world in November Is
preparing, according to Information
given by the New York Globe Unde-
open covenants openly arrived at'.'
the Globe admits that "cynlcs might
point out that the Journalists made
similar demand before the peace
conference In Paris, and that, In
spite OF all. that conference was es-
sentlally an instance OK secret nego-
tiatton. but the paper replies that
In that case the demands were only
| half-heartedly made" and that 1t is
exactly because of the object les
| son OF the treaty of Versailles" that
the armaments conference must be
"On an entirely different 1ooIing."
In the conduct of the Washington
| meeting, the Fort Wayne journal
Gazette (democratic) says, the
agencies OF publicity are determined
That 1t shall not be their fault ii the
people are jobbed by the secret work
ticians. VINO. according to the st.
Paul News independently will seek by
means OF "'accurate and complete
accounts Of the proceedings" handed
out to the press, to limit Information
| reaching the American people to
; mlttee of censors thinks is good for
them" This policy the press will not
tolerate, the News believes.
TINS Is undoubtedly a popular point
OF view. the Springfield Union (repub-
lican) comedies, anu If newspapers re-
garded the matter solely with view
to their own interests they would be
natural advocates OF free access to all
Developments of an international meet
lEg so pregnant with possibilities for
news. but ''in such matters there is
an inevitable clash between devotion to
Ia theory and appreciation OF hard
fact" The New York Post tin-
dependent finds that 1.-The general mind
has ben sobered and educated on this
matter Of publicity since the days when
ht. II n yeb T.
came personal and partisan taunt."
and We have come to See ''the rea-
sonable limitations on publicity which
the tacts impose everywhere on ev
| cry body. \" body of men. the Port
land Oregonian independent repub-
lican feels. could be expected to
reacn proper conclusions on such mat
terS as will be negotiated ''if every
word and every suggestion We're report
ed. discussed and judged apart from
ali else by the closely waichful ma
! tions." The result OF such IAN attemp,
at publicity" it believes, would be '.pri-
vate conferences of few delegates at
which deals would be made" In the
deliberate judgment of more than one
historian the Philadelphia Bulletin
! independent republican, remarks, our
federal Constitution could never have
been framed IL the convention that
! created that great work had not sat
| behind closed DOORS" and in the great
ueDate 10 come the same rule Will
| hold, the paper thinks, so "the dele
gates should be let alone
| Secret conferences and star chamber
agreements might possibly expedite the
business of the conference" the Mil
waukee Sentinel (republican) agrees,
but they will not meet with approval -
and will inevitably react against the
completed work. 1t was '.just this de-
vice Of clique of powerful politicians
meeting in secret and deciding among
themselves all the important questions
! of the conference. without giving the
peoples Of the world an opportunity to
express themselves" which, in the
/ judgment Of the Lexington Leader (re-
publican) "marred and blackened the
entire work" of the peace conference
at Paris. Hence the demand which
the Arizona Republican tPhoenix, fnde-
pendent progressive) voices: THE
press must have place at the council
table"