The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1922-01-25

BEFORE ARMS
CONFERENCE
Toxic Not Ready to
Withdraw Troops
From Siberian Soil
BY the Associated Press.


Washington. Jan. 22.-The prob
lem OF Siberia. the only topic on
the agcnda Of the Washington con-
ference now remaining uneXpiored,
is 10 replace the Chinese questions
during the coming week as the par
| amount concern Of the arms dele
gates.
BY most OF the delegates the ST.
berian situation is not expected to
lead to long discussion and it
vas predicted generally tonight
,hat by the end of the week the
Far Eastern discussions would find
themselves once more bareast OF
>he almost CONCLUDED naval neso-
cations.
:. The japanese. who expect Siberia
10 be considered at tomerrows
meeting of the Far Eastern COM
mittee. received today from Toxic,
an expression Of policy by Foreign
Minister Uchida which they re-
gardcd as determining definitely
The attitude OF their government
against Withdrawal Of japanese
troops from Siberia until stai,le
administration has been establish
cd there. This position the delega-
:ion is expected TO lay before the
committee as soon Us it begi.s its
Sibrcian discussions bringing the
| negotiations at once TO q consider.
alton Of the centra! issues Involved
in the problem. There IS no indi-
cation that any other power in
tends TO stubborIlly dispute the
F.; japanese stand. or TO bring on u
prolonged debate over questions.
Would Oppose Plan.
In some quarters there is appar-
| ently a belief that Japan should
be Invited to set a definite date for
withdrawal Of her military forces
but the Japanese delegates say to-
night they had no present iBten-
ton of doing so. Their troops. they
| declare. were in Siberia solely to
protect japanese interests during
the present unsettled conditions
and therefore it would be wholly
| impossible to fix q. withdrawal
date until there are definite assur-
ances of an improvement.
Although the Far Eastern COM
miftcc is about to Shift its atte3ts---,-
tions 10 Siberia, n few Of the CHI
nesc questions still remain 90 -
disposed of and will receive coa-
jsideration when the caascs which
prompted their postponrment are
removed. The hincsc request for
aDrogation of the tweniy-one de-
mands" treaties is among these, but
is not expected to come up until
the Shantung negotiation, arc con-
c!uded. Other subjects iAclude tue
Chinese Eastern RailwaS and tas
Russo Chinese, alliance oi 1926,
both OF which are consie"rsG hhe-
ly to dovetail into the Siberian KS
cussions as they proceed.
It seems to be q, unal laou5- pc
lici that the coming wee MT only
will see the Far Easter .sEcnda
virtually exhausted. but $50 WIZ be
definite steps in thc sc. aiate ne
| gotiations between the '';.iianese
and Chinese over Shantuns ine
two groups Will meet tomorrow
Flor the thirty-first time and two
or three more meetings are beileVea
certain to reduce the points ct dii-
ference to u stage where compro-
! mise on the. TsinStao Railroad
issue will bring the whole ohan-
| tune controversy to an end.
No Naval Development.
Ovcr-Sunday conferences pro-
duccd no development in the naXal
negotiations. but al the delegates
| held 20 their predictions 'li;'ss t..e
Pacific Notifications settlement
the only point remaining at ISSUE
would be worked out without seri-
ous trouble. Ii seemed to De tue
/ prevailing opinion tonight that
/! nl.na,y session OF the conferences
wopld be held during the week TO
present the naval treaty ia its u
nal form.
IN view Of the unexpected DELAYS
that have developed in the Pase.
most &C the delegates are charS o'
making further prophecies al al
adjournmcnt date for the confer
encc No one seems to believe 1t
likely however that the nesotia-
tions will run past the frs; ten
DAYS of February. and in soo'e
quarters it is expected that the
rjnal SESSION will TAX" place not
later th::n TWO weeks hence
IN its discussions of Siberia j.
xas pointed out the conference
will be in somewhat oi}isfeii,
position tl:an when it corsidsfeo
; China. th.e Chinese government DC
iry represented here and Russia
hcinc absent. IN this situation the
J policy Of Siberian territorial intss-
rity is said 70 be regarded IS III
the han,s cf the powers. partie"-
| larlv since they agreed during the
World War to installation OF
foreign troop, on Siberian soil
e~--