The New York herald., 1922-02-05
SEA CHIEF
SEES ERA OF PEACE
Continued from First Page.

it helped to bring America into the
war. If war is a vice, you do not
get rid Of it simply by driving 1t
under"
I do not, however desire on this
occasion to revive controversial sub
ject which we shall have other oppor-
tunities of raising again, but merely
to express my belief that in the one
case where we have. found ourselves
at this conference at variance with
American policy we have been con-
scious of great and irrepressible
wave of sympathy which has ex-
pressed gitself. not merely between the
lines of official speeches but in the
consciences and generous instincts of
the mass of the American people.
That has been our sufficient justifica-
ton; that is our confident hope for
the future.
Meanwhile we rejoice, of course, in
the adoption by the conference of the
treaty which prohibits the use of sub
marines for attack upon merchant
vessels, and we do not underestimate
it's moral force or value. But that
prohibition has still to secure the ad-
and we cannot dismiss from our MEM
cries that while we had international
law as an insurance before the Lusi-
tania, it proved, in the hands Of a,
desperate enemy, of no more protec-
ton than another scrap of paper"
Apart from these SOLDERING reflec-
tions, have said enough, | think. to
justify the immense satisfaction which
i feel at the results Of that part of the
work Of the conference with which, as
head Of the British Admiralty, I was
principally concerned. Thanks to the
initiative of PRESIDENT Harding and
Mr.. Hughes's brilliant handling of the
conference more has been done toward
the reduction of naval armaments and
the removal of causes for war than
any one believed to be practicable or
even conceivable up to few short
months ago.
The work of the conference in con-
nection with the Far East has been no
less important. The peace of Versailles
and the destruction of the German
fleet settled the naval situation in the
Atlantic upon a secure and peaceful
basis. 1t did not, however, touch the
Pacific and Far Eastern situation. In
deed, in the eyes of many that situa-
ton was actually aggravated by the
disposition made by the Treaty Of
Versailles Of the province of Shantung.
The Shantung controversy, and
many other Far Eastern irritants, now
belong to past history. The four
Power treaty, taken in conjunction
with the naval treaty. will eliminate
all danger of war in the Pacific and
will reduce to a minimum all chances
of further wrangling over Pacific polit-
ical questions. The various treaties
and resolutions regarding China do the
same for the mainland of eastern Asia.
Following in principle Mr.. John Hays
famous declaration in favor of the
"open door" In China, thy adapt and
expand that declaration to meet mod
ern conditions, and guarantee China
from despoilation and disintegration at
the hands of foreign Powers.
|. Roughly speaking, they end the era
" competition among foreigners for
the exploitation of the resources Of
China. That competition has long
threatened the sovereignty of China
and good relations among the Powers
concerned, and the conference has
substituted for it a policy of coopera-
ton in the opening of the vast eco
nonic resources of the Far East under
rules which should guarantee fair play
for everybody and not least for the
Chinese.
The Shantung settlement does not
technically belong to the work of the
conference, nor does the settlement.
reached primarily between the United
States and Japan. in regard to the
status OF the island of Yap and the
ownership and operation of the for
mer German cables in the Pacific. The
credit for those settlements does, how
ever, rest with the conference. or
rather with the spirit Of statesman
ship, good will and conciliation which
the conference has generated.
TIE New YORK HERALD asks me
whether I think that the Washington
conference will further the chances
of some future economic conference,
such as has been contemplated at
Genoa. All that / care to say about
that is that the Washington confer
ence. by it's example and success. can
not but inspire and stimulate future
international conferences.
Not the least of the debts which the
world owes to the American Govern ]
mcnt is the way in which this con-
ference has strengthened what is
called "open diplomacy" 1t has shown
with what comparative ease ques-
tions. which have hitherto defied, and
might have defed almost indefinitely
a solution by ordinary diplomatic
methods, can be settled when once the
representatives of the nations inter-
ested. IL animated by will to agree"
can meet. face TO face around table
and adjust their differences and as
pirations to the common good of hu-
manity and civilization.