Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-02-05
.PARLEY WIPED
CLOUDS OFF SKY
ACROSS PACIFIC
Growing Feature for
y. S. Is Dissipation of
Conflict With Japan.
Toxic S Eyes Opened to
Fact America Ism
Hostile, Says Small.
By ROBERT T. SMALL
s.sei,i correspsadent Of Great Falls Tribune
l.nnrrirht laoh by The Great Falls Trtbune

Washington, Feb. 4.-The great
outstanding achievement of the Wash
ington conference, but one which is
not referred to openly in any OF the
documents is the complete oblitera-
ton of the talk Of war between the
United States and Japan. This talk IN
the last year or two had been grow
ing to dangerous proportion.
AS a result of the washington con-
ference, the relations between the
United States and japan are better
than thew have been in decade. There
ig q better understanding Of aims and
intentions between the two govern
ments.
The Japanese have discovered that
there is no intention on the part Of the
Washington government to run amuck
in the far east. The japanese have
found that there is at Washington
dispogition to trust them in the orient
and. consequently, the japanese are 60
ing home extremely happy over the
outcome of the conference, which they
felt at first they had every reason to
fear.
jap Pride Comforted.
Janan won her point of keeping the
Shantung @negetiatiuns entirely out of
the scope of the conference. There
was distinct reason of pride in this.
japan at Versailles promised to re-
store Shantung to China within rea-
sonable time. Therefore, it was mat
ter only between Japan and emma as
to the terms of this restoration. ia
pan felt it would be casting doubt upon
the bon fides of her promises made AZ
Versailles if the Washington confer .n
ence should officially take up the
Shantung question. Undoubtedly the
Washington conference inspired the
Shantung compromise, and undoubtedly
the Chinese would not have signed any
Of the far eastern treaties in the ab-
sence of a definite Shantung under
standing. Such course by emma
would have cast shadow upon all the
conference agreements.
Has Aid England From Middle.
Great Britain became perturbed over
the situation Embarrassing questions
were being asked in parliament. Would
the British government, in the event
of hostilities between Japan and the
United States be compelled to 60 to the
assistance of Japan under the terms of
the Anglo japanese alliance? The
question was put in the house of COM
mons. The answer was diplomatic
one The government has heard no
report of possibility Of war between
the two nations and, therefore, the
question of policy did not arise.
Newspapers in Japan, in the United
States and in England were taking up
the discussion of war in the Pacific.
The German press fairly chuckled over
the prospect.
Great Step to World Peace.
The conference apparently has
smoothed the troubled waters. ia
pans position of power in the east has
been recognized by this country:
There are many reasons for the call
ing Of the Washington conference
Great Britain desired it even more
than did the United States. But in
the back of the presidents mind al
ways was the thought that if the con-
ference could sweep away the war
clouds hanging over the country and
Japan, a great step toward world peace
would be achieved.
Meantime. a question universally
asked is: What immediate efefct does
the fiye-power treaty of limitation
have upon the United States navy?
Effect on U. S. Navy All on Paper.
With the exception of stopping con-
struction on some of the new ships
there is no immediate effect. There is
to be no reduction of naval personnel.
As matter of fact to man the vari-
GUS ships which the navy is to keep
under the Hughes plan will require
the addition of between $4,000 and 3d.
600 men to the present enlisted force.
The only ships at present in commits
sion to be scrapped is the old Ohio,
which has been used of late as a radio
experiment ship with a skeleton crew
on board.
The enlisted strength of the navy to-
day is $4,000 men. The navy has ap-
preparations for 10000 men, the 5000
to be apprentices in training. The
oretically congress has designated a
force of 12S,OOO enlisted men, but the
money for the full force was not pro-
vided.