The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1921-12-15
THE NATIONAL CAPITAL
BY j. E. Jones

The catalogue of national "aspira.
tons" has been submitted to the arma.
ment conference and the diplomats OF
the different nations have been study.
ing the exhibits with care. Japan's
list has been scrutinized critically
and to the delight, if not the surprise
of the conference, that nation has sub.
scribed substantially to the program
Of eight countries to guarantee the
independence of China. Events are
travelling fast in international affairs,
and even at short range one becomes
dizzy in picking out the viewpoints
of the foreigners whose interests the
United States is seeking to amalga-
mate.
Long-range %Quarrels conducted by
diplomats hampered by stubborn ma
tional pride, and the misunderstand-
ing which so often comes from written
messages (as everyone knows who
has tried to %straighten out disputes
by letter-writing), is apparently dis
appearing. Never before in the his
vi vi Liz WI III nave ulplOlIdIS DtSu
clothed with such freedom as has
been delegated to the members of this
conference. Something of the kind
was intended at Paris when the
League Of Nations was created, but
in that body Of diplomats the big issue
was to draft a peace treaty to end
a war. The present conference has no
such handicap as was imposed upon
the Paris representatives when they
attempted to establish methods for
future peace. The Washington con
ference has been remarkably free from
any exciting incidents, and after the
first few days it settled down to a
series of discussions in which there
has appeared to be a singleness Of
purpose to prevent future armed con
ficts between nations. A lot of super
fetal ~Quarrels still remain, but unless
all signs fail these will be ironed out,
and limitation Of armament, plus con-
siderable scrapping of existing units,
will be agreed upon, quite along the
plans suggested by Secretary of State
Hughes. Disturbing problems in the
Far East will likely be settled through
agreements among the nations; and
these agreements may not carry with
them any form of guarantee for their
application.
The United States will doubtless
carry its point in preventing a renewal
of the Anglo-Japanese alliance, and
on the other pinch of the shoe Japan
is likely to retain as privileges some
of the advantages that are now in dis
pute. That nation has been yielding
slowly upon the issue Of reduced anna
ment, holding to this position and
using it as a club to secure the reten-
ton of it's hold in Machuria and else
where.
China's strength in the conference
lies wholly in the fact that it is de-
f~enceless, and the conference presents
the spectacle of groups Of strong,
armed nations vieing with each other
to do justice toward a people who
have had for a thousand years a civ
ilization" peculiar to themselves.
which they refuse to fight for. States
men are asking one another, what is
China" and as the answers are agreed
upon they are falling over one another
to protect the Chinese in their efforts
to work out a republican form of gov
eminent.
Despite some Of the points of differ
ences that naturally exist in the con-
ference, there is a Sweet reasonable
ness about it all that inspires. the
optimists to entertain the fondest
hopes that the ideals of world-peace
are finally to be protected by under
standings among the nations, and by
establishing a new method in world
affairs that will preserve and enew
these understandings.
Henry Ford fitted in and out OF
Washington the other day, in his pri-
vate railroad car. He came to see
the secretary Of war about the Muscle
Shoals property, which is an over
grown war baby that has been left
saualling on Uncle Sans lap. Secre-
CdTy WtthS was olSh III OSu' pU1
nevertheless he saw and talked with
Henry Ford. The president dropped
affairs Of state to receive the auto
mobile king, and Secretary Hoover
also gave him a glad hand. The King
of Belgium, the Prince of Wales, Foch.
BRAND, Balfour, none of them ever
got through more doors in the same
length of time.
From Washington the Ford party
hurried on to East Orange, New Jer-
sey, where Mr.. Ford told MI Edison
all about what he would do with the
Muscle Shoals property when it was
turned over to him by the government.
Mr.. Edison enthused enthusiastically,
and agreed to go to Alabama with his
friend to look over the property. Mr..
Ford also found time to enthuse en-
Enthusiastically, and as there were many
reporters about, the opportunity was
furnished for several millions Of news
D readers to likewise enthuse en-
Enthusiastically over the vtvidly pictured
honafactions of Mr.. Ford. The amOuS