The Washington herald., 1922-02-06
1890
Will Close Conference
After Signing of
Five Treaties.
HOPES FOR SPEED
IN RATIFICATION
Democrats Not Expected
To Use Obstruction
list Tactics.

will formally bring the historic
meeting to an end.
Preceding the Presidents speech.
five treaties will be laid before the
| delegates for affixinE their sigma
tures and official seals. The seS-
sion will be the most important
and perhaps most colorful since
that day at Versailles nearly three
years ago when the great powers
Of the earth witnessed the sigma
ture by German delegates TO the
treaty of peace
Five Treaties 10 he signed.
In the presence Of the entire
Diplomatic Corps at Washington
members OF the Cabinet, Represer-
tatives and Senators in Congress.
Justices Of the Supreme Court.
specially invited guests and news
paper correspondents. the delegates
Of the United States, Great Britain.
France. Japan and Italy will sign
the fve-power naval treaty and
the flve-power treaty regulating
the use of submarines and abolish
ing the use OF poisonous gases in
/ warfare.
The delegates OF the United
States, Great Britain. France and
Japan will siRD the four-powcr
treaty. supplementary 60 the Pa
cific pact.
The delegates Of the United
States, Great Britain. France. Italy.
Japan, China. the Netherlands. Por-
tugal and Belgium will sign tn"
two treaties covering principles
and policies as applied TO China.
Greatest since VersaIIIes.
These portentous documents. all
aimed at establishing and prcscrv-
| ing amity among nations interest
ed in the Pacific, will. when signed
! and ratified by the powers. consti-
peace since the peace deliberations
at Paris.
IL is to this thought that PrcSf-
dent Harding in ringing down the
! conference curtain. will address
| himself. The President worked
much OF yesterday and late into
| the night preparing his speech.
His address opening the confer
| encc expressed the hope OF the
United States. His address closing
the conference expresses his salts
faction at the fulflIment Of much
! Of his hope. IL carries the note Of
anticipation. too. that tho future
will see a world increasingly auN-
!
cuss its concerns. rather than on a
battlefield, fghting about them.
President HardinE's plan now is
to submit the treaties to the Sen
ate this week-as soon as he can
prepare his message. The message
will explain the benefits derived
from the conference. including tn,
savings resulting and the posi-
bility Of tax revisions as a further
boon.
VIII Ask Prompt Action.
The message further is expected
to make recommendations regard
ing consideration OF the navy ap-
preparation bill. which has been
set aside until after the treaties
have been ratified. On this point
the President is expected to argue
for prompt action on the pactS,
that the savings. accruing both
from scrappinG warships and stop
ping expenditures on those not yet
built but listed for scrappinS. Inav
be diverted into other channels and
consideration OF the resultant pos
sibility OF tax adjustments has
tened.
1t is on this practical argument
that the President believes his
|
rests. He already has taken action.
however. to quiet threatened oppo-
sition among some Of the Senate
IirreconcilabIes The supplement
tary treaty defining the japanese
Homeland" was designed to soothe
those who threatened to demand
reservations to the four power pact
eliminating inclusion OF japan
proper in it's provisions. At a din
ner the President had with Sen
ator johnson last week, the cali
fornian's opposition TO the four
power treaty IS reported TO have
been wiped out.
Expect Little Obstruction.
The President believes now that
the treaties will pass the Senate
by an overwhelming majority WITH
comparatively little debate. Much
however. depends upon the attitud.
Of the minority. Early this wc~-I
Senator Underwood, DemoCra'!r
leader and minority representative
| on the American arms delegation.
will confer with his party Seua-
tors to explain the treaties. what
they mean and why they were
negotiated as they were. There
after, the Democrats will decide
whether to make the treaties 'he
object OF concerted party action.
1t is believed now that troy viii
decide to vote. each as his polit-
ical Judgment dictates. and will not
make the pacts a party issue.
Meantime questions like reduc-
tion of personnel. conv"rsion ot
funds from doomed warships To
| those that arc TO be rompleted,
and numerous other problems con-
fronting the navy in practical ap-
plicstion OF the new treaty arc be-
ing threshed out in a series OF
cohferences between representa-
tives of the department aud MEM
bers OF the Naval Affairs Com
mittees OF the House and Senate.
Seek PrseticaI Econrmy.
First consideration is bcinC Given
to the Administrations piau for
stopping construction work on IN"
vessels that are stated 10 b.
4 continsed on Page Fire.