Evening star., 1921-09-10
u. s. DELEGATION
| WILL MEET SOON
| TO DISCUSS POLICY
American Quota Is Filled by
Naming of Root and
| Underwood.
Mr.. HARDING AGAINST
| ALL GROUP TENDENCY
President Will Oppose Cluttering
Conference With Extraneous
Questions.

The American delegation to the
| armament conference. which will con-
sist of Secretary Hughes. Elihu Root.
| and Senators Lodge and Underwood
may be expected to meet soon for pre-
lIminary discussion of conference mat
! ters, 1t was stated officially today.
| Secretary Hughes. who has been
designated by President Harding to
head the American delegation. already
has conferred with Senator Lodge and
Mr.. Root. and President Harding has
LAD several conferences with Senator
4 Underwood before the Alabama SEN
ator left Washington last month. al
| though it is not known whether these
related to the forthcoming conference
I! and its program.
The preliminary discussions it WAS
! said, probably would enable the Amer
lean delegation members to reach an
| tagreement on The position of thu
United States as to the conference
program. Negotiations on this sub
Ject are understood to be proceeding
! informally. although satisfactorily be-
! tween the participant nations
| President Harding has formally an
| nounced the selection of Elihu Root
1 of New York. former Secretary of
I State, and Senator Oscar w Under
| wood of Alabama. democrat to serv.'
| with Secretary of State Hughes and
Senator Lodge on the American dele
| cation to the conference to meet here
| next month to consider the limita-
| ton or armalnents and problems o!
| the far east.
Set Delegate Limit at Four.
This announcement was made at the
| Presidents bi-weekly conference witt.
the newspaper correspondents. late
Yesterday afternoon. and al the sam
| time he made known. also that il had
| Deen agreed among the nations 10
participate in the conference that each
| delegation TO the conference proper
would be limited TO four members. 1t
was explained that an advisory CON-
Dmittee. to be composed of experts in
various lines. comprising probably q
dozen or twenty members will bt.
named to Serve the main body of dele
gates. No limit AS to the size of th.-
advisory committee has been placed,
and 1t viii remain witirthe nations il,
terested as to just how large they WILL
make their representation on this aux
Hilary BODY.
The President stated tha: to this
advisory body will be assigned the
Army and Navy experts representa-
tives of American womanhood. rep
resentatIves of labor and represn-
tatlves of other American interests
1t is made clear that President
Harding will not be a participant in
the sessions of the main body of the
conference. His part in the great
gathering Will be confined to a well
looming of the visitors and an opening
address on the first day of the CON
feren.e. He then will retire to the
background and watch with interest
what is developed by the official nego-
ltiators. who will be presided over by
! Secretary Hughes.
L. :. Has No selfish Purpose.
Both President Harding and Secre-
tary of State Hughes have taken great
pains in an endeavor to make it clear
that this country is going into the
conference with no selfish purposes.
Their purpose is to take hold of the
icrystallized public opinion of the world
on the reduction of armament and
turn it into the channels where it will
do the most good.
Confidence that both Mr. Root a~d
Senator Underwood would serve wae
expressed at the White House Sem
ator tnderw woodS position as minority
leader in the Senate, where he might
be called upon to support any treaty
or other agreement reached, was not
expected to preclude his acceptance
In event. however that he should find
it impossible to serve. il was inti-
mated unoficially that John W. Davis.
former ambassador to Great Britain
might be the democrat: member of
the American delegation. Mr.. Under-
l
of Tennessee.
Only the big four delegations
| from each of the five allied and asSo-
ciated powers will sit in the general
conference on armament limitations.
The delegation from China, which was
invited especially because of far east
ern problems. will sit with the TWEEN
ty delegates representing the princi-
pal powers, ii was said, only when
far eastern problems are under dis
m Yos it-ac pf ya1t
Holland and other nations. it was eX-
planned, will occupy similar status
and come into the powers conference
only when their far eastern interests
are affected. Armament questions,
it was emphasized. would be left sole
ly to disposition of the supreme body
of twenty.
il Foreign Delegates Not Announced.
No official advices regarding the
makeup of the other powers delega-
tions have been received. but Secre-
tary Hughes. it is understood, IL in
touch with this question through con-
! versations here with the diplomatic
corps.
The question of secretary general
for the conference is being consider
ed George Wharton Pepper. Phila-
deiphia lawyer, has been suggested
for the position, but officials are not
yet ready for an announcement
/ 1t was said officially that the con-
ference
work in groups, President Harding
beirg represented as deploring the
"eroup tendency" in consultations of
this character and as desiring to put
a restraining hand on this tendency.
Inquiries at the White House on
the possibilities of another asSocia-
tion of nations developing from the
armament limitation meeting were
| met with the statement that the
armament council would be in itself
! nations in association 1t also was
stated that the President did not de-
sire to "clutter up too much" the
armament Limitation conference with
extraneous questions. 1t was said to
be his great hope to get results from
the conference, crystallizing the gem
eraI public sentiment which is be-
4 lieyed to exist in favor of Limitation
of armaments. The conference. it was
said, was designed to get away from
sentiment and to find an oppor-
tunity for expression of convictions"
Brief sketches of the public services
of the men to serve in the American
delegation at the conference follow:
Charles Evans Hughes, Secretary
of State, former justice of the
Supreme Court. one-time candidate
for the presidency and twice COVER
nor of New York; lawyer by pro-
/ fession.
i Eiihu Root once Secretary OF War,
.---: ,.s,ssst. III Fs.ae :. :. Ss'.G:..m .