The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1922-12-27
ANOTHER
CONFERENCE
PROPOSED

" llOc1S w u ..-.ssS.1s.,
tio11s Now Wants
United States e
fake Hand in Fok
eign Affairs
washington. Dec. 2i-Exten-
siye ascension OF international af-
fairs lis expected to develop in the
senate asa result Of a proposal to-
iday by Senator Borah (Republican1
AoY Idaho for an international con-
Ference To consider economic fin
anciaI and business problems. In
leluding German reparat ions as $
twen as reductions of land, sea and
aerial arrnaments. s. -.
Senator Borah offered his plan as
an amendment to the $3.50, J 900 naval
appropriation bill, which was re-
ported to the senate today for pre-
!, anlinary consid Grafton tomorrow.
He proposed that the preside be
asked to cail an economic and DIS
armament conferenceainstead of q
tconference merely to deal with fn-
itation of naval vessels under 19.-
s000 tons and military and naval
aircraft as provided in the billfas
passed by the house.
= In offering his amendment as q
substitute for the house provision,
Senator Borah declared world eco
nomic conditions required inme--
date action, and he prop posed that
President Harding be- authorized
and requested to invite such gev-
ernnleHts to send representative
Ito the conference as he should
ldeem necessary and expedient'
with the object OF arriving at s.,ln-
derstandings or arrangementsi
looking ..to the restoration Of trade
and establishment of sound fnan-
cial and business conditions. :"
With reference TO- arn1apnenfs,
the Borah amendment includes the
house bills provisions as to naval
vessels unde 10, 600. tons and air.
craft. with its provisions for CON
sideration OF land and sea arna-
fnents.
Senate leaders do not expect
the Borah proposal nor tflee house
provision. TO be reached during to-
morrow's consfd deration of the bill.
These and an amendment By Sem
ater King Democrat of Ttahs call
! ing for land and sea disarn1a-
ment conference, Whichis pending.
are expected to so over until after
the Christmas N oliday. ~
Senator Borah's aniendment
caused general surprise especially
IN view of his strong position in
past in reference TO American par
ticipation IN European problems.
He was oneeof the strongest ops
penents Of the league Of nations
/ and treaty Of Versailles, but ID his
statement today. he made it clear
that he believed action was needed
| to solve pressing economic prob-
lens Affecting American trade.
German reparations. he said,
were the key TO the Europeanssit-
Iuation. 2 and he thought his pro.
posed conference might break
! the deadl lock on that subject. .lr.
We are travelling in vicious
circle, Senator Borah declared.
We enacted an emergency and
also a permanent tariff bill. New
tertheless, the cry of distress from
the producers of the country is
even more piteous than at any. time
since the war. The farmer; can
find no markets abroad for his
surplus products and without a
] market for his surplus products it
lis Impossible for him to realize
the value os that which he pro-
lduces.
I'VE now propose to enact a
Iship subsidy bill but there are no
cargoes to carry and no markets to
isupplN. II we should give our
millions in the way Of subsidies it
-
would not open q single market
nor supply a single cargo. These
things are not produced by sub
sides. There are millions of ship
ping tonnage lying idle now wait
ing to carry the cargoes which do
not appear. Markets are opened
and cargoes are prodpcede by men
going back to work and settling
down to business, not by imposing
more taxes in the way OF subsidies
I'VE had disarna ament confer
ence a year ago. We are now ad-
!! vised by a committee report of. the
other house that unless these
agreements heretofore made arc
extended, competition in naval
armaments will be on again in the
direction to which the Washington
conference agreements do not ex.
tend. The committee further says
that if it be allowed to go un.
checked, this government must be
constrained to launching new
program to keep abreast Of other