The New York herald., 1922-03-12
FOUR POWER TREATY
VITAL, ASSERTS HUGHES


templated the use of force for the befe-
fit OF the signatory Powers. An alliance
based on right and justice between ma
tions, intended to aid In securing the
peace of the world would not be often
sive to me- The first step in any effort
to keep the peace among nations must
be based upon q mutual agreement to
respect the rights Of others. The four
Power pact does that.
'.If the Senate of the United States
ratifies this pending treaty I am fully
satisfied that there will disappear not
only any real cause for war, but there
will no longer exist the opportunity for
war that has threatened US In the past
two decades, and peace will be estab-
hshed between the four great sea
Powers that now control the destinies OF
the Pacific ocean.
"As long as conditions were allowed to
remain in the Far East as they have ex-
listed for the past two decades danger
lurked behind every DISPUTE. and the war
clouds gathered when every national is-
sue was raised. These conditions threat
ened our national security. for as long
as our flag floats over the distant islands
of the Pacific national honor requires
that we shall defend the people OF these
islands from attack by other nations.
This is the real issue involved in the
four Power treaty. The issue or peace
in the Orient, the issue of safety to our
country, the issue Of the lives Of our
young men, who should be saved from
this danger for the upbuilding OF
greater America.
Real Treaty Of Peace.
"A number Of treaties were negotiated
at the conference in Washington on the
Limitation Of armaments, but this four
Power treaty Is the real treaty of peace.
The naval treaty is remarkable in that
for the first time In the history Of the
world nations have really agreed to limit
their armaments, but nevertheless their
relative strength remains the same. The
Chinese treaties establish Magma
Charta to protect the sovereignty and
territorial integrity of China in the fu-
ture. This one treaty stands for peace
by mutual understanding and all that
peace means"
In answer to q question by Senator
Robinson whether contract which is
signed is altered by a reservation con-
cerning the matter which Is agreed to
Senator Underwood explained that in
international law q reservation con-
cerning q treaty became part of the con-
tract 80 far as the nation making the
| reservation is concerned.
Denying the charge there had been
secrecy In the preparation Of the docu-
ment, Senator Underwood said there
had never been q conference which was
freer from secrecy or intrigue than the
Washington gathering. Even had there
been secrecy, he said, the contents of
the treaty would be the test. He thought
the opponents Of the treaty were in sore
| straits when II was necessary for them
to avoid the contents OF the treaty and
center their attacks upon the manner Of
its preparation.
! Senator Walsh (Mont), regarded as
a friend of the treaty, raised an inter-
esting question by asking Senator I'm
derwood what outside Power" is re-
| ferred to in Article H., which pledges
the Powers to conference in the event
OF aggression from the outside.
Senator Walsh said the language must
mean something, and he wanted to know
who was meant, whether China, Great
Britain or Russia. He wanted to know
No Reason for Elimination.
Senator Underwoods answer to this
point of attack was that during the mex
ten years there could be no outside
power in the Pacific which might By
any possibility develop enough strength
to be q menace. Accordingly this pro
vision means nothing, and since 1t mean
nothing there was no reason for its
elimination.
Senator Robinson (Ark) announced a.
this juncture that If Article II. wer,
eliminated there would be no difficult,
in procuring ratification Of the rest o.
the treaty. He asked II Senator Under
wood would consent to its elimination.
The answer was a refusal, on tn,
ground that while we attached no i'm
portance to the proposition. other ma
tions might, and that any change nov
would endanger the whole work of thu
conference.
The Walsh inquiry developed a colo
guy in which Senator Reed (Mo.) volun
teered the information that according
to facts submitted to him Russia nov
has 100000 men under arms. and tina
these men are officered by the bes
Russian officers of the Czaristic regim
and by former German officers.
Senator Underwood doubted this state
ment, and said that in any event mod
ern armies required factories for thei
equipment, finances and stable Govern
ment for their creation. The armet
forces OF Russia, he declared, wer'
nothing more than mobs. He said tina
even the widest stretch OF the imagina
ton could not conjure the possibility o
either Russia or Germany becoming /;
military factor within the lifetime O
the treaty.
Quotes Japanese View.
MIR. Underwood quoted Prince Tohu
gawa, one of the Japanese delegates, Al