River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1922-02-09
Our Weekly Letter
From Washington
FROM JAS. A. FREAR, M. C.

ternational conference ever held has
finished it's labor. At Paris every
nation other than our own was after
the loayes and fishes. Preparations
coal mines, undeveloped resources Of
German colonies and Selling OF
everything in sight stood out at
Paris. President Wilson's Ia points
self-dete1mination of nations and war
to end wars were ignored by the
victorious Allies while the League
of Nations, whatever it's virtues,
never found resting place on this
side Of the Atlantic. Entangling
foreign alliances were tabood here.
The Washington conference start
ed to do what the other conference
failed to do-make forward step
toward peace. 1t takes more than
one man to quarrel and it takes more
than one nation to insure world
peace. President Harding and Sec
rotary Hughes took the first step
by asking England, France, japan,
China, Belgium and the Netherlands
to sit around a table and see how
near they could get together. China
and Japan were then in constant tur-
MOL over Shantung, German COLI
cession which Japan had received
through the Paris treaty. Japan and
the United States also were jealous
" watching each other, feverishiy
building war vessels and fortifica-
lions while more than one American
officer predicted war with TIE laps
within the next decade. England and
France were both dissatisfied with
peace treaty spoils of war and France
maintains an army of 100000 rnen
through alleged fear Of Germany.
That was the situation when Borah
by resolution demanded a "disarma-
ment conference in Washington.
The conference has been in SEES sion
less than three monahs An agree
ment to reduce arra.rants has been
agreed to for ten years. Shantung
has been released to China; Japan,
England and the United States have
an agreement to keep peace and not
build Notifications in the Pacific dur
ing that period; poison gas, submar-
ines and battle ships are declared I'M
popular and better than all else the
various countries have threshed out
differences and are more genuinely
friendly than at any time in recent
wears. The war made them Allies
fc1 self-preservation but did not re.
move suspicious that had existed
for centuries. Now they are friendly
and have said good things about each
other that were never said before.
Germany and Austria although not
parties to the conference were con-
sidered to the extent that French re-
paration demands against Germany
are not favored by the other coun-
tries and this feature of the Paris
treaty will have to be modified II
France hopes to get any payment
from bankrupt countries. The Wash
ington conference has been success
and President Harding and Secre-
tary Hughes deserve thanks OF the
world that will be reflected in
period Of peace and reduced arnla-
ment expenditures. They have not
made all men or all nations good.
They have not reduced commercial
exploitations of countries or many
other present day practices that in
woke distrust and foreign disturbance
es. Much more remains to be done
but minds have to meet and men have
to concede, compromise and agree in
all conferences and that they did be-
yond hopes at the conference which
practically closed its labors last week.
An old fashioned Wisconsin biz
card caught Washington the other
day and piled up over two feet OF
snow on the level, some of which was
never shoveled off sidewalks down
town but was tramped on by pedes-
trians. Death and disaster always
seem more tragic when associated
with amusements and have in mind
the New Richmond cyclone which &C.
cured when a large crowd had gath
cred to attend a circus in that city.
ia people were killed in that disaster
over twenty years ago. The roof OF
the Knickerbocker theater, one OF the
show houses near by in this city was
instantly crushed in by snow during
the recent storm killing 81 people and
injuring $50 while the orchestra was
significantly playing a lullaby. A
beautiful little lady, daughter of ex-
congressman Barchfeldt was killed
with her father in the theater. Their
bodies so badly crushed that they
bodies were so badly crushed that
they could not be viewed at the funer-