The Washington herald., 1922-01-01

Hughes Seemed Confident.
However. the naval program was
not q fact accomplished until
France and Italy had consented to
a ratio. That was the next step.
and Mr.. Hughes seemed to have
turned to II with utmost confidence.
The ratio he had fixed as proper
was LIS; then, suddenly. without
any warning. the soaring stock Of
the conference dropped way below
par. A British journalist, with
more love Of sensation than the
honor OF his profession, announced
that the French had told the naval
Committee that France wanted to
buffa ten 35.0o0-ton ships. The ef-
rect OF those numbers suddenly
thrown On a table where the figur-
ing for weeks had been down. not
up. seems TO have come nearer
throwing the conference delegates
OF their feet than anything that
had happened to date. There was
no questioning their dismay. FOR
while Mr.. Balfour and Mr.. Hughes
refused. as It was proper for them
to do, to discuss the matter. while
mouths shut. and complained that
they had been betrayed. Mr..
Hughes showed his excitement by a
long cabIegram to Mr.. BRAND. Out
side the conference an excited world
declared the whole thing was
wrecked and that France had
wrecked T.
As a matter of fact, the confer
ence, far from being wrecked, was
only rocking q bit, and II took very
little time for its inner circle to re-
establish itself But hardly had IL
regained its eqdanimity when from
the most unexpected quarter came
another disturbance. President
Harding was putting a very differ
emit Interpretation on the four
power pact from what its delegates
had repeatedly given it, For my
part I had never questioned that
when this four-power pact talked
about insular dominions. as well as
insular possessions. II meant whas
II said. and that Nippon, as well as
Australia and New Zealand. was in
volved. There seems. however, to
have been honest doubts in some
minds about this. and when finally
ten days after the pact itself was
submitted and accepted by the full
conference an insistent journalist
presented Mr.. Harding at his BIZ
weekly press meeting written
question (the President requires
now that all questions at these
gatherings shall be submitted in
writing). he remarked in his cas-
uai manner, NO. the Japan main
land was not included in the
treaty.
~wrecked., They Said Aagin.
Here was food for the trouble
makers. for all of those who while
loudly declaring themselves advo-
Gates Of peace. do their utmost 20
belittle the efforts of those with
whom they are not in sympathy fo=
one or another reason, to magnify
differences in Interpretation, to fan
partisan jealousies, to read intri-
que and deceit and concealment
where there usually Is nothing
worse then laundering or stupidity.
The conference was now surely
wrecked. they declared with salts
faction or despair.
But the conference was not
wrecked Moreover, II has done
something which you cannot wreck.
In the middle of this second agita-
ton Mr.. Balfour remarked that
there had already been written here
a new chapter IN the history Of
world ornaments, that for the first
time in history ornaments are be-
ing serapped. This is true. The
Washington conference has taken
the FIRST step toward realizing the
fourth point to which the allied
II Oh
three years ago IN Psris-"Ade-
that national ornaments will be
reduced TO the lowest point con-
sistent with domestic safety"
Are such crises as this conference
has had to go through inevitable
in the Instrument? Could those
that are credited to the French,
that Is the crisis forced by Mr..
BRAND and later by his successor,
Mr.. Sarraut, have been avoided? I
am inclined TO think that both of
them might have been II there had
been larger sympathy and better
understanding Of the French and of
their present psychology. The
truth n that the nations that are
meeting now in these international
conferences do not understand one
another very we'll. Nothing Is need
ed more II We are to carry on the
world comparatively, as seems in
evitabie, than a much fuller knowI-
edge Of one another's ways, pre-
tpdtces, ambitions. than any of US
have.
Brands Position Hard.
Take NJ. BRAND. He came to the
conference at considerable peril to
himself. He Is premier, and he has
opposed to him a strong. reaction
airy. mflitaristic. INSCRIPTIONS
party. II is a party that Is doing
its utmost to drive France into war.
NJ BRANDS friends felt he should
stay at home. He wanted to come,
to try TO persuade the conference,
as he publicly said. that France
was not military IN spirit, that she
did want peace, but that she still
believed that she was threatened
by both Germany and Russia and
must either have arms or guar
antees. This point of view has been
recently set forth admirably In a
series Of propositions in the French
journale lie Temps They should be
carefully studied BY those who are
trying to get Frances present state
OF mind.
I. Under . regime Of limited
ornaments. such as that of which
Mr. Hughes has defined the basis