The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-02-12
Where World Desires ParuHeLed
Conference Progress WasSmooth,
ButRough Where Opinions Clashed

Galicia, the Rumanians abandon
Dcssarabir the Italians consent that
Fiume become Slay. The Paris con-
ference could do nothing -- and in
the matter OF the mainland OF Asia
the Washington conference has been
In the same fix.
One frequently hears the asscr-
tlOn made, "the Washington con-
ference was IA SUCCESS" or course
IL was a success where success was
possible, but the maximum of sue
cess was narrowly ClrCumsCTibcd.
Three nations wanted 10 reduce
naval expenses and avoid compc-
titiOn In construction and In Pa
cific interests. Therefore nothing
was more inevitable than that
they should strike u bargain, after
caCh side had done the necessary
chaffcrinR. We wanted To ret rid
of the Anglo-JnpanCso alliance,
the Japanese wanted 10 get rid Of
the real or fanCicd threat Of
American attack from our insular
bases, the British wanted nm
Anglo American Japanese mr.
rangemcnt, hut fundamentally we
all wanted the same thing.
Where tho Washington conference
failed was whore the Paris confer
ence failed, where the Berlin con-
ference would have failed, II IL had
tunctiOnod In that direction which
Il notoriOusly did not. namely, in at
tempting to reconcile irreconciliablo
points of view. Mr.. Wilson went to
Europe with his Il points Inn
aglning that thcre was new spirit
I'm the world which would bring the
peoples to drive their statesmen to
renounco old ways and abandon old
policies. The trouble was that he
did not recognize that most of these
old ways and policies rested upon
well nigh universal acceptance In
the respective countries.
Now Just ms often, either at Paris
or Washington, as Mr.. Hughes or
Mr.. Wilson undertook to.act on the
assumption that there was n new
spirit in the world. each came 20
grief. You hear great deal about
the japanese refusal to get out OF
Manchuria. but you hear much less
of Mr.. Balfour's refusal to agree that
Britain should retire from Kowloon,
because Britain has n better press in
the United States, but the principle
is the same.
Take the Anglo French case, the
British argued and we accepted
their view. that the fact that the
German army had been limited. JUS
titled the demand that the French
army be similarly reduced. But the
British would not admit that be-
cause the German navy had been
abolished. the British fleet should
be brought down TO the strength of
France or Italy.
Versailles Map Condemned.
No one would be cynical enough
to say that there was no improve
ment IN spirit Mt the Paris confer
ence as Contrasted with Vienna or
with Berlin. No one would argue
that at Washington a certain prog
ress was not marked in returning
stolen property. The map of Europe
made at Versailles has been terribly
condemned and l shall not at this
late date attempt to argue that II is
not defective. but everyone must
concede it represents far greater
attempt TO do justice than any SINH
lar endeavor in all the centuries
which preceded. And in Washington
we were seeking-with somo sue
cess--to get Chinese lands back to
China. where at Berlin all the great
powers were frankly looking for a
slice of TurkeyLand getting II In
most instances.
But historically, Is Il not posi-.
bic that later generations will say
Of the Washington conference
that IL was "a natural ConcOmitant
OF world, well nigh ruined by
war and incapable OF bearing at
the moment the burdens OF arma-
mcnt which no immediate clash OF
policies made necessary? Nobody
could afforu battlcships so every
body combined Ia limit them and
the naval experts helped the
thing by saying--in the language
of Admiral Sims, that these same
battlcshlps were not "worth pow
der TO blow them to"
BY contrast everyone believed in
submarines, except the British. for
whom they were an obvious menace
and the British wanted them abol-
ished altogether. And everyone could
afford submarines-so we kept
them, not subject to Limitation as
the United States wanted, the limit
based upon our own theory OF our
own needs, and ratios accommo-
datingly fixed for all our associates,
but without limit. because the
French would not accept our rating.
As for airplanes, admittedly the
weapon of the future, whose utility
no one disputed, no limit was placed