Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1922-01-09
CHINESE PACT
MAY MEET With
OPPOSITION
Opponents of Four-P0wer
Treaty May Attack
Asiatic Agreement
PROMISE NOT ENOUGH
Chinese Insist They Will Have Been
Unfairly Treated if Proposed Pact
Goes Through

Washington Jan. 9.-Opponcnts of
the four-powcr treaty and of some
other results of the Conference are
bginnin% to manifest very keen III
terest in the forthcoming agreement
or treaty bearing on China and As
iatic questions in general. And there
is more than suspicion that they
have their guns trained to shoot az
soon as it appears.
The understanding is tilat the terms
of the agreement or treaty worked
out in their minds. if. indeed, they
have not had it put on paper in ten
tative form. Il is expected to embody
the four Root rules for the protection
of China that already have been
adopcd by the Conference, Beyond
that little is known.
The belief of critics Of the four
power pact and of others in touch
with the Conferences work is that
the new treaty, which il is thought
will be signed by all the eight powers
in the Conference, other than China
and possibly that nation. too-wili
do little for China except to set up
the Root principles. They may be
fooled by Mr.. Hughes, but that is
their belief.
And while they do not discount
the worth Of the Root rules, if adj
hcrcd to. and while some Of them he
licvc those rules may be given more
respect than similar declarations
have been given by these same pow.
ers in the past, they are saying that
China will have been given raw
deal. if all that is done for her III
territorial matters is to extract from
the powers another promise to be-
have themselves That. Of course. is
what the Chinese are saying and
what those Chinese who have left
for home were saying very violently
when they took their departure.
That might have TO other effect
than intellectual and emotional re-
sentiment were it not that the four
power act is pending Though cham
pionS OF China might deeply regret
that no more was done for China,
they might accept the Root rules as
progress. But with the four-power
pact pending 4 Chinese or Asiatic
treaty that does little more than
make promises of good behavior in
the future will be read into the four
power pact by its enemies as ac-
qucscncc by the United States IN
the other powers past aggressions.
Again. it is to be said that Mr..
Hughes may unexpectedly fool the
critics, but if he docs not they will go
to the country with this argument.
China has been subjected to all sorts
Of stcaIings for many years. And
here is the United States entering in
to an agreement bearing on China
that acquicsccS in these matters, and,
at the same time entering into a four
power pact under which it agrees
that any disturbances in the Pacific
regions affecting either Japan, Great
Britain or France, all of whom have
profitcd by the past aggrcSSlons in
China, are to be made matters of
conference, if not Of military action,
as claimed by the Borah group.
The conclusion in the reasoning
will be that. having agreed that the
powers shall retain the fruits Of their
agrcssions the United States will be
making the preservation Of the
status quo It's own business, either
through moral and economic influ-
cnce or through military and naval
action, if the Borah theory about the
four power pact is accepted.