The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-03-16
STILL FIGHT PACT
Tho Final Vote Set for March
"a, Senate Still Seething.
Reed Challenges Delegation to
Produce "Secret Report"

Washington, March 16.--Despite
their acquiescence in the senate agree
ment to vote finally on the four-power
treaty on March "a, the irreconcil bles
opposing ratification gave evidence to-
day that they had no intention of
abandoning their war against the arms
conference agreements.
Administration leaders persisted in
their declaration that the agreement
for a vote marked the collapse of ali
hope for defeat of any of the confer.
ence treaties, but Senator Reed, Demo-
crat, Missouri, went ahead on the SEN
ate floor with the irreconcilables' on
slaught in a speech charging that the
whole conference program had been
"misrepresented to the public
He presented naval figures which,
he said, would prove that the naval
and four-power treaties taken together
would place the United States in such
relative position as TO involve tbs gray
est dangers to national security.
Declaring that once the four power
treaty was ratified it would be zoo late
to block the new world scheme worked
out by the conference, Senator Reed
said he challenged" the American
delegation to produce the confidential
reports made to them regarding the
relative strengths of the navies OF
Great Britain, Japan and the United
States when these treaties are rati-
fled. by the naval treaty" he urged
the United States would give up bases
IN the racine Sucn importance as
to make defense of the Philippines
impossible, and in return would be-
come a member of a four power
treaty which it's friends say binds
neither Japan nor Great Britain nor
any one else to do anything"
Foreign statesmen, however. were
declared by the Missouri senator to
put a different Interpretation on the
four power pact. He quoted NJ. Nivi-
anfs statement in the arms confer
- in nf NJ lzr
an outside power, measures will be
taken to meet the situation" and con
tinued What kind of measures do
you think he meant?
Just meeting together, drinking
pink tea. and tv-iddling our thumbs
when a hostile navy is bearing down
on us?
ening. pusilla niTnous dishonesty to con-
tend that the treaty means anything
else
Replying to arguments that the
treaty should be ratified because it
abrogateS the Anglo-Japan alliance,
Senator Reed quoted a Japan states
man as saying that the four-power
arrangement meant an enlargement
of the old friendship between Japan
and Great Britain. Under the naval
readjustm ent the Missouri senator
said the United States would scrap un-
completed vessels on which $65O,O0O.-
600 had been spent. while Great Brit
ain scraps mo vessels whose construc-
ton has .5een begun
The number to be scra pped by Jap
an. he declared. had been misrepre-
sented. because the japanese by rush
work" had laid down the keels of two
ships on the prescribed list while the
conference was in session. Twenty Of
the twenty-four capital ships to he
scrapped by Great Britain under the
naval treaty. Mr.. Reed asserted. al
ready are useless. He declared also
that three of the vessels listed a ca pi-
tai ships on the scra piping quota of
Japan 'are not actually capital ships"