Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1921-12-14

the point of being stunned BY the frank
ness. the daring and the abruptness
OF the American secretary or states
navy cutting announcement In
truth, perhaps a good deal OF the as
tonIshment was more In the seeming
than In the reality.
There Is conviction here that both
the British and the japanese expected
something of this kind. In fact, one
can say almost that he knows they
expected II.
A good many of the writer's OF com
ment on Washington affairs who at
tempted to forecast the proceedings
OF the conference constantly were
giving expression TO wonder that the
United States did not suggest In ad-
vance that II might have something
concrete TO propose In the way OF
Limitation OF ornaments. The sugges-
ton was. apparently. that the State
War and Navy departments had been
asleep.
II seems that these writer's should
have known that sanity of thougnt
suggested that the United States, hav-
Ing called the conference. must OF
necessity. In order TO make 1t success,
have something 10 propose at the out
set I'm the way of reduction of arma-
ments.
No Cause for Resentment.
There were British subjects In Wash
ington who were not connected with
the conference In an official capacity
who felt some resentment that the
American secretary of state should
propose such a plan. without so much
as courteous preparation of the
minds of the British and the jap
anese delegates TO receive it,
1t is likely now that most OF these
visiting foreigners who were in an
early mood of resentment have had
another thought ON the subject. II Is
generally believed here that the British
and the japanese delegates knew that
something concrete was coming from
Secretary Hughes. and while they did
not know its exact nature, they were
not dynamited out OF their seats by
surprise when the explosive" pro-
posal came.
Something over month ago the
British prepared navy reduction
plan of their own. II was not In
tended. of course. for presentation to
the conference because the United
States being the inviting nation, the
British looked TO us TO take the tnitia-
tive. But the plan was ready as
basis for comparison with any plan
which was offered. This proves that
the British knew something of the
kind was coming and were ready TO
meet II. 1t can be said with definite
ness that the British naval reduction
plan ran along the same lines of those
presented by the American secretary
of state.
Admiral Kato has spoken very free
IN about Japan's view of Secretary
Hughes proposal. OF course he can
not say. nor can anybody say, today
that the plan viii be entirely accepta-
BILE TO Japan, but a japanese authority
has told me that there Is no question
nj all that ultimately Japan will meet
the United States In its naval re-
ductlon proposition. and perhaps even
may be willing to go 1t one better.
Frances View interesting.
Today II seems that the French
opinion of the proposed navy scrip
ming program Is the most interesting.
because the French look at sea power
matters from a point alo0f. / think
I may safely say that what follows Is
substantially the French view:
'sThe peoples of the world win re-
spond from their hearts to the proposal
for an actual beginning Of limitation
of ornaments. They once waited for
America To declare herself. and later
powerfully TO act in war. They know
Americas achievement after she once
had shade the war proposal. They
know that her achievement in peace
will be just as great now that she has
made known her plan to blaze trail
which viii lead to the goal which the
masses seek.
"The words used by Secretary
Hughes meant action. When once
three great nations unselfishly strip
themselves of much OF their armor
the lesson must reach even the peoples
of those lands whose leaders still may
be aggresslvely inclined. They also
will so strip themselves. There Is no
nation that does not look today, as dur
ing the years Of war, to America for
moral leadership.
America has struck bodily. She will
win and the world viii win with her.
The very force and dlsinterestedness
Of her naval proposal must bring con-
sent. The rest viii follow"