New-York tribune., 1922-02-03
Diplomats Characterize 1t
as Most Successful
International Council i'm
the " World's History
Japan Drops Fighl
For ~ Demands
Solution Of Pacific Prob
'ems Reached in Spite
Of Forecasts of Failure
By Carter Field

BY Carter Field
WASHINGTON. Feb. 2.-IIavinc
ended The naval armament race. cs-
tablshed breathing spell relation
ship among the United States,
Great Britain, Japan and France
with regard to Pacific problems. ana
brought about the settlement Of the
Shantung. German cable and othor
Far Eastern questions which con-
talncd the seeds Of war. the arnoa-
ment limitation conference will be
brought to close On Saturday.
1t was definitely indicated at the
state Department to-day that the
publ" session called to-day to meet
Saturday 'eill end with the adjourn
ment Of the conference. The end
has been almost within sight for
long time, but various loose ends re
nlained to be tied and. until the last
few days, persisted in ravcline ou-.
Japanese Conccde Points
The end of the conference work
was brought in sight today when
Japanese delegates at the Far East
crn committee meeting agreed to
abandon Group ) Of the twenty-one
demands imposed on China in 1918.
and proposed to make other conces-
sions involving other Japanese
claims in Manchuria and Mongolia
The Chinese will reply TO these pro
posals to-morro" at what is e1-
pcctcd to he the final session q the
committee.
Administration officials. from Prczi-
dent Harding down. are obviously do
lighted with the final outcome. The
are particularly pleased that the Shan-
tung question. probably the most d.
f1cult problem Of all was settled to taa
apparent satisfaction Of both jap.
and China.
ms removes the heart of the OPP
position to the conferences achieve
ments so far as the Senate j, con
celned This solution will beyond
doubt make infinitely easier the task
oi getting the treaties ratified
A. Saturdays session. in addition 30
the treaties relating TO China and the
which viii supplement them.
there viii be read and approved the
new four-power Pacific treaty supple
mcntng the ono approved on Docom
ber 10. This new treaty. as alrea iy
told in these dispatches. viii exclude
from .hc scope of The big four powers
Pacific treaty the HON, islands o.
Japan.
Makes Reservation Unnecessary
Next to the Shan.ung settlement this
treaty. which will f.bros,ate the Anglo 4
japanese alliance. will do more to
smootn the path of all the treaties in
the Senate than anything else which
has been mplished. Az the least g..
VIII have the effect of removing the
necessity for a reservation to tho four
power Pacific treaty. which would have
specified that the main islands Of IaNau
wsre not included in the territory
which the four nations a0reed TO re
spect. and to consult about in the
event OF an attack.
The general impression among diplo-
mats here to-day is tnat the confef-
cnce which is to adjourn on Saturday
has been the most successful Of any
international gathering ever held
There is a slight reservation on this
among the diplomats 70 the effect tha-
this judgment, of course. viii not be
valid until after the Senate has ratf-
fed the treaties agreed upon. So far
as the results and agreements OBJ
tanned. however. and the good viii per
sisting at the close. despite the fre
quent frictions among the nations
the negotiations were being conducted.
the conference stands out. the diplo-
matte observers declare, as a landmarks
in history.
Pacific Program Justified
" hen the conference convened, they
point out. there was really little hope
that il would accomplish very much.
After it was called there were many who
favored reduction of naval armameuts
by agreement. Senator Borah. notable
among these, objected to the inclusion
of "Pacific and Far Eastern questions
Their contention was frankly that they
did not believe it would be possible 70
get anywhere with a discussion of the
Pacific and Far Eastern questions. ana
for this reason they thought II folly
to include them, as, being included. they
JeOparClZed the success or INC arn'h"
mcnt limitation part of the program.
The Admnistratio took the position,
however, that the Pacific and Far East
ern questions had to be settled if any
serious cons Iteration was to be given
to the weakening of the naval power
of the United States in the Pacific. The
point was that thi; country had too
many unsettled controversies with ia
pan. and these controversies were be-
ing used by the jingo press of both
this country and japan to inf'amc pub
lc sentiment in each country against
the other
The list of these controversies is al
most too lone for brief enumeration
On it appeared conspicuously the open
door in China. Shantune, Yap. the for
mer German cables TO which this cour-
try claimed one-ffth interest as ONE
of the five principal Allied and asso-
ciated powers, the protest Of this coun-
try against the occupation BY Japan Of
the upper half of Saghalin Island. the
apparent desire Of Japan to establish
two buffer states in Siberia fronting
on the northern boundary of China, anu