The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-12-29
SENATOR FLkYS
ARMS PARLEY
FOR FAILURES
Even FOur-Power Pact Has
Only Caused Trouble.
Senator King Makes Long List
of Charges.
GENERAL ASSAULT ON FARLEY
Failure After Failure Has Been
Shown at Washington.
Not Even Japan Can Agree on
Agreements Made.
GENERAL ASSAULT ON PARLEY
Not Even Japan Can Agree on
Agreements Made.

Washington, Dec. ga sweeping
indictment of the whole armament
conference for what was described as
Its monumental failures" came to-
day from the Democratic side of the
senate.
The attack was launched by Senator
William H. King, Democrat, of Utah,
and was the first general assault on
the conference from the Democratic
side othef than that made by Senator
Reed of Missouri.
In a formal statement, Senator
King said that Judging the confer
ence by what it has developed so far,
it is in grave danger of attaining fame
in history for its monumental failures
rather than for its monumental
achievements"
Many Charges Made.
Senator Kings statement said:
From what we have been able to
learn from the secret sessions of the
justly and rightly be charged with:
Failure to limit the land arna-
ment
Failure to stop absolutely capital
ship construction under the So-called
ten year naval holiday program, be-
cause the modification and departure
from Mr.. Hughes's original proposal
Failure to provide that money
saved by scrapping or stopping the
construction of certain OF capital ships,
shall not be expended on other war
craft.
Failure to place any limit on the
total expenditures for military and
naval T111rnOSaS e
Failure to limit aircraft as to size,
use or numbers.
Failure to restrict or prohibit
manufacture and use of poison gas in
warfare.
Failure to effect satisfactory
agreement with respect to the return
of Shantung by Japan to China or of
the Shantung railroad to its Chinese
owners.
Failure to remove other causes of
friction in the Far East except by gem
eral resolution or directions of prin-
ciples which are still to be proved
practical methods of preserving peace
"And last, but not least, the most
recent failure to restrict or abolish
the size, use or numbers of subma-
rines, which is apparently threaten
ing the conference itself with disas-
trous results.
Even Pact Is Failure.
''Contrasted with this lamentable
record of failure, we have an agree
ment to limit the construction of capi-
tai ships which permits Japan to re-
tain the Mutsu, the largest fighting
craft afloat, England to complete two
super-HooGS and the United States to
keep some of her biggest dread
naughts, we have the so-called four
power pact, a quadrilateral territory
covering the region of the Pacific as
to the exact meaning of which the
White House and state department
have seriously differed and with
which Japan herself is reported to
be dissatisfied on the same grounds
that a number of United States sena-
tors have criticised it-that it insures
the protection of the japanese
homeland from armed aggression; we
have an agreement by which Japan
retains her sovereignty over the Is
accorded those rights it would have
received anyhow had we ratified the
Versailles treaty and entered the
League of Nations; and we also have
in prospect a so-called nine-power
treaty which is expected to cover such
agreements as the conference has
been able to reach with respect to
China and the Far East.
ain my judgment, a, world union of
all civilized nations is the only real
way to prevent war and preserve
peace. Such a union was the league
of nations The present conference
would have been unnecessary, and its
failures would have been avoided had
we Joined the league of nations. as. in
nv opinion we should have done"