The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-10-08
EUROPE WARY
OF U. s. WORD
ON ARMS CUT
America Must Realize that
Foreign Neighbors Regard
Us as Being Difficult to Get
Along With.
BREAKS POINTED OUT
BY MARK SULLIVAN

tudS Oh well meant efforts are now
under Way in anticipation of the COM
ing armament conference. Their pur-
pose is to educate the American peo-
pie, in this short five weeks, about
the intricacies of the questions which
the conference will take up.
1t is not likely. of course, that many
persons will succeed in thus educating
themselves in any serious sense. But
there are few fundamental princi-
pies which can be easily borne in
mind, and which lie at the heart of
what ought to be the American point
OF view toward the coming conference.
Probably the most desirable thing
Tor the American public, as distinct
from the American government, to
realize is that our foreign neighbors
regard us as being, in the information
al sense, most difficult and embar-
raSSlng nation to get along with.
If any foreigner, familiar with inter
national relations, were asked to draw
up an Indictment of the lack of know
ledge and the lack of maturity of the
American people in the field Of inter-
national relations, he would probably
begin with China
Consent to consortium
He would point out that during the
administration of eX-President Taft
America consented to the consortium
system of building railroads in China.
That is to say, Mr.. Taft's administra-
ton gave the consent of America to
the building Of railroad in China by
six-power group, but within a short
time afterward, when Wilson was
president and Bryan was secretary of
state, America officially took the view
that the consortium was undesirable.
Six or seven years passed by, and
under a new secretary of state the
Wilson administration reversed itself
and gave approval to a new consort-
ium.
Another count which would be in
cluded in an Indictment of Americas
lack of stability in International af
fairs would deal with Shantung. For
20 years or more, America has an
nounced and insisted upon the open
door as the expression of American
policy in China. But in 1919, President
Wilson waived that policy and assent
ed to the transfer of Shantung to
Japan. One year later. in 1920. the
American senate reversed President
Wilson and refused to ratify his con-
sent to the transfer of Shantung to
Japan.
Turn to Panama Canal.
For a third count in the indictment
against our lack of international
stability, foreigner would turn to the
Panama canal. First. we promised
Great Britain by treaty that we would
allow her ships to go through the canal
on the same terms as our own. When
we built the canal, and in passing the
act for the management of it, we
bluntly reversed ourselves.
A few years later, in 1914, under the
administration of Mr. Wilson, we re-
versed ourselves a third time and per-
mitted British ships to go through the
| canal on the same terms as American
ships. Now, just as the conference ap-
proaches, the question is up again, and
apparently, we are going to reverse
ourselves on the subject of Panama
Canal tolls fourth time.
The largest indictment of Americas
conduct in international relations
rests, of course, on the league OF
nations. Our representative. President
Wilson, insisted that the league of ma
ton should be tied up to the Versailles
peace treaty, so that the two should
make one document. This was against
the Judgment of all .he larger powers
represented at Paris. But Wilson in
sisted on it, and it was done. There
upon the American senate refused to
ratify what the American president
| had insisted upon, and in a new ad-
ministration, new secretary of state
set himself to the task of separating
the two documents
other Examples
To these principal examples a large
number of others could be added
which give our foreign neighbors good
/ reason for hesitancy about entering
into agreements with us 1t is a fact
that most of these nations are coming
to the conference in fear. They do
not fear. our power, nor our good in
tentions, nor, In a sense. do they have
! fear about our honor. but they do de-
cidedly have fears about our incon-
sistency and our ignorance.
or course. these powers now know
; pretty clearly that our form of gov
| ernment differs from theirs in that
no president and no secretary of state
can finally commit us in International
relations. They know that the senate
has an equal voice with the admins
tration. and they know that they have
| not got valid agreement until the
senate. as we'll as the president, has
signed on the dotted line.'
But they know, by recent and un-
happy experience, that agreement be-
tween the American president and the
American senate is occasionally i'm
! possible; that the president may act
upon one principle and the senate on
another
Under the circumstances. if they are
timorous about approaching the Wash
ington conference. and not greatly
confident about the outcome. that is
not surprising
The most important thing for the
American people to learn. in prepare
ton for the coming conference, is the
necessity for keeping their collective
word And what the American dele.
gates to the armament conference
| need TO bear in mind is the necessity
Tor not promising more than they feel
! confident our people will perform
when the time for performance arrives.
-(Copyright 1921 by the New York
Evening Ppst, Inc.)