The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1922-12-09
THE NEAR
EAST PEACE
CONFERENCE
American Representa-
tive a t Lausanne.
Advocates Freedom.
Of the Straits to All
Shipping

Shipping
Lausanne. Dec. 6 by the AS
sociated Press) strong Amer
ican plea for freedom Of the straits
with the right of warships to pass
to and from the Black. sea was the
outstanding feature Of the Near
Eastern conference today. which
received from the entente nations a
definite project for the future con1
troll Of this great world waterway.
The Russian plan for the exclusion
of all but, Turkish warships from
the straits received a blow by the
allied proposal, <
Richard Washburn Child, the
American ambassador, adopted the
broad standpoint that the very in
,terests of the countries bordering
on the Black sea made it imper-
ative to keep the straits open. The
United States in common with, ev-
cry commercial nation wished ac-
cess to every free sbody of water
in the world and America would
not, be satisfied If her ships of war
could not pursue their peaceful err
rands wherever American citizens
and, merchant crafts.were. accorded
that privilege. ,:s;.ss,s.ss
The entente nations presented a
plan for restricted
opening of the straits which was
designed to prevent any one body
from acquiring mastery there;
they suggested aenailitarization of
the entire straits territorial zone
and. proposed the appointment OF
an International commission to
guarantee observance of freedom
of the straits.
George Chicherin, the Russian
Soviet foreign minister. ridiculed
the allied proposals, saying it
meant resumption of international
rivalries, but Ismet Pasha for. Turk
ey informed the Associated Press
that he considered the entente
propositions suitable basis for fur
:ther discussion. which viii be re-
sumed Friday.
In addition to the plan present
ed today. the allies are arranging
for the formation OF committee
of experts to work out detailed reg
ulations for protecting Constant
nop1e.
Put briefly the allied proposition
for. controlling the straits is as fol-
lows.
In time Of peace there shall be
complete. freedom of passage for
the merchant ships Of all nations,
but the number of warshipsi shall
not be greater than that Of the
most powerful Of the littoral pow
ers of the Black sea existing In
the Black sea at the time Of pas
sage.
If, however, the Black sea pow
ers should abandon all their ma
val forces, individual powers would
still have the right to send through
the straits a fleet of three ships,
but only one of these ships could
exceed tonnage of 10000. II
war occurred, in which Turkey was
neutral, there should be complete
for the powers, with the
same Limitation as to the number
and tonnage Of ships as in time of
peace. If war should break out
and Turkey was a belligerent, nen-
trail warships could pass through
under the same restrictions.
The plan for the demilitariza-
ton of the straits. territorial zone
prohibits fortifcations on either
side of the Dardanel1es and the
Bosphorus. The zone includes the
Galipoli peninsula, which was the
scene of the great English-Tur
ish battle in the great war, and
takes in the islands of the Sea of
Marmora and the group Of islands
in the Aegean which lie at the. en-
trance of the Dardanelles.
A significant feature of the de-
militarization is interdiction Of all
submarines in the territorial wa
ters of the demilitarized zones and
islands.
As a special protection for Con-
stantinople the project authorizes
a garrison not exceeding 10000
men, but no armed forces shall re-
main or move in the denilitarized
zones.
Lord Curzon who lengthily eX-
planned the allied proposals in an
address before the conference,
said the international commission
of control would have a Turkish
permanent president The United
States would be a member. The
exact procedure whereby the COM
mission will be constituted and
whether it will work under the
league of nations has not yet been
decided.
In attacking NJ. Chicherin's plan
to close the straits to all except
the Turks. Lord Curzon referred to
the Panama canal. Under inter
national law he said Russian and
Turkish warships have the right of
free passage Of the Panama canal,
as well as the Suez and Keil ca
mails and othe rstraits. But NJ.
Chicherin wanted to deny the
rights to other nations with respect
to passage between the Mediter-
ranean and the Black sea. He de-
clared the Russian scheme for
closing the Black sea would place