The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1922-07-26
THE HAGUE
CONFERENCE
A FAILURE
NJ ee tin g Adjourn
ed Without Having
Accomplished Any
thing Of Importance

: SOStdlSo ~" S"isiSSSJss- itS C1i4loO
| States government figured in the
closing scene of The Hague con-
J terence which today passed into
history without accomplishing its
aim-the reaching Of an economic
accord with Soviet Russia. M.
| Cattier. Of Belgium made the state
ment at the final session at the
peace palace that he was author
lied by the American charge
d'affaires, to say that the American
government would adhere to the
resolution which had just been
adopted, whereby the governments
engaged not to assist any of their
citizens m attempts to acquire
property in Russia which belonged
to citizens Of other countries and
was conhscated since November,
1917.
The United States, he added,
had no intention of departing from
its. line Of conduct with regard to
property srexpropriated in Russia.
The resolution itself gave rise to
some debate. France. through NJ.
Alphand, moved to amend the
resolution So that the word .Ebe-
longed' would become belongs"
Frances idea was that although
the property had been seized by the
Bolsheviki, it was legally left in the
possession of foreigners and that
in the resolution the use Of the
present tense. of the verb should
clearly record this fact. The
amendment was rejected.
The Baltic states did not succeed
in their efforts to have set up some
machinery for possible continuance
of the work of The Hague. Be
lieving the Russian project for the
recognition Of debts and the right
of compensation for confscated
property was a logical basis for an
eventual accord with Russia, the
Baltic states wanted to create
some organization for receiving the
Moscow governments reply as to
whether the newest proposal OF its
Hague delegates was officially rat
fled
Through this organization the
Netherlands government, FOR in
stance. II was pointed out. could
then transmit the reply to all the
other governments, and, if favor
able. It could serve as the foun-
dation for renewed negotiations.
and perhaps another conference.
The Baltic delegates were firmly
convinced of the necessity of losin,
no. oppos tunitys to provide for the
regeneration of Russia. They We're
induced. however. not to push
their point and the matter did not
arise at the closing session of the
conference which adjourned after
the property resolution and a Sc
ries of reports were adopted.
Three separate documents ex-
planned why the subcommissions
on private property, credits and
debts failed to reach any conclu-
sions which would serve as a basis
for general agreement with Rus
sia were among the reports The
IOuTCH uOCuAiSt(, SStiSAeNA SNA ~
declared the new Russian proposal
could not form the foundation for
an agreement because it did not
embody any working rule or ma
chinery Of any guarantees which
could insure the effective discharge
of the obligations the Russians
proposed to undertake.
The end of the conference means
that when one month has passed.
the powers are free to make sepa-
rate agreements with Russia and
that Premier Lloyd Georges non
aggression pact lapses. This was
the arrangement made at Genoa.
It permitted The Hague confer
ence to De held without the men
ace of war arising between Soviet
Russia and the other European
nations during the period OF ne
gotiations.