New-York tribune., 1922-02-18
4-POwer Pact
Bar to League,
Davis w arms
Wilson's Formtr Under Sec
reiary Of State Says Treaty
Will Lead to European
stem of Alliances
Peace in Far East Remote
United States al DISADVANTAGE
: in Naval Spheres, He Tells
Foreign Relations Council

Norman II. DAVIS. Under Secretary
OF State in the latter part Of the Will
son Administration, speaking last night
at the Hotel Astor before the Council
on Foreign Relations, predicted that
the four-powcr treaty pact recently
enacted at Washington would lead the
United States into the European system
of alliances. This will make it i'm
possible FOR the United States to enter
3 later League Of Nations or any asao
cintion of nations, he said.
"lf the Far East, Near East, Europe
and South America are to be put III
separate compartments" he said. will
ii not be necessary to define how the
relations between different compart
ncnts arc to be maintained? How
many of these groups are we to join
Is any other power to be in them all
II a nation joins more than one, to
what extent will il be a free agent and
TO which group will ii owe most alie-
glance %
Dubious About Shnntung
Touching on the Shantung problem,
anese by force had taken over the cx-
German interests, the right to which
WAS claimed by secret treaties with
the Allies. At thc Paris conference tic
apanesc promised to get out, but did
not mention definite date. At the
Washington conference this promise
as been made good, in part or in full.
1t is TOO early to herald complete
and unconditional withdrawal in Shan
tung, b it is an excellent start.
"If, however, t'is withdrawal is to be
hold on Manchuria and Siberia it would
be q costly one ard would not help
TIE situation. The original japanese
pledges have been recently renewed
BIT nGw those rlcdnes are coNtinccn t
~o''o0- N~t- with Russia sat.fac-
tory 50 Japan and upon rcstoratia n
..~. 80 a v &C the Japanese
occupation and activities make increas
ingly difficult. Until t'ese questions
the Far East
Sees Gains for China
''rhc naval treaty results in q divi-
sion of naval spheres Of influence The
United States is not permitted to in
crease fortifcr tions at Guam and the
Philippines. England being permi tied
: W iUNi tdoC itci naval btSCS ttC OiHRf~
pore. Australia and New Zealand, may
transfer a large portion OF her feet to
those places, which leaves the British
and Japanese fleets in control Of the
Far East"
Nj. Davis ssid he believed China had
gained more than she had loss at the
/ WasS.in. ton conference. lie said the
spirit OF the Nine-Power Treaty had
been violated by the refusal to permit
China to levy inlpo,t duties Of more
than s per cent especially when ether
countri, 5 levy drties up 30 geo per cent
IN some instances on Chinese goods.
'lf controversy should arise over
the failure Of one OF the powers TO keep
its PLEDGES III respect to China or ST.
beria it is net c!ear to me what our
rights or duties would be- said Mr..
Davis. CAS- this and the naval treaty
are not in any way conditional upon
the observance Of these treaties, it
would seem that we arc in effect
estopped from using force in case OF
non observance
John W Davis, former Ambassador
TO England, presided at the meeting.