The Washington herald., 1922-01-01

The American people were indig-
dant during and after the Paris
conference, because in their own
opinion they had been prevented
from seeing what was being done,
or knowing why IT was being done
until very important and intricate
decisions had been taken and docu-
ments signed and then they were
asked to accept these documents
with an endorsement by Mr.. WI
son rather than with any eXplana-
tion which satisfied them. In a
word the trouble arose primarily
out of the way the thing was done
at Paris.
Wilson Was All.
Now the thing was done in Paris
in this way. Mr.. Wilson represented
the United states in every impor-
tant meeting of every important
committee he was the American
representative. he was the Amcri-
can policy, he was everything and
there was literally no one who had
the slightest inkling as to what he
agreed to or did not agree to until
long after the event. or to put the
thing more exactly. he acted with
out regard to any advisers or asso-
ciates in the larger matters and.
by illustration all the American
colony at the conference was taken
aback first when three-powCr
guarantee treaty was announced.
and, second. when the Shantung
surrender was made a matter of
common knowledge.
Yet the entire circumstances
which surround the publication Of
tha fact as to the four-power treaty
in washington bear close re-
semblances to eDher of me fOreSo-
fng Incidents at Paris. Why was
the Horsepower treaty signed in
Paris, why did Mr.. Wilson agree to
kuarantse France against German
aggression? For the very simple
reason that only by this conces-
pson ~ this payment. could be per-
suade the French to accept certain
conditions which were essential to
the realization of his plan for a
lsague Of nations.
why did Mr.. Hughes negotiate
With Mr.. Belfour and Baron Kato a
efeaty which extended to the main
land Of japan certain benefits
which did not apply to the home
land of the United States or of
Great Britain. For a very simple
season, because unless Japan and
the British empire were prepared
to scrap the Anglo-Japanese alli-
ance there could be no naval agree
ment. no naval holiday. for the
United States could not agree to
eliminate many units of defense
Aand abandon any program of forti-
ficatIon in the Pacific while the
two great naval powers of the Far
East were united in an alliance.
Hughes Problem Same.
Mr.. Hughes dealt with the same
problem which faced Mr.. Wilson.
He had TO get rid of something
which was in the way OF success
for his negotiations. But unhap-
PLY he chose to deal with it in 81
actIy the same way. From the
moment the conference met and the
representatives of the three great
Pacific powers established contact
the Pacific agreement was the
main business in hand. Mr.. Bal
four even spent time on his voy-
age out sketching a proposal for
such an agreement.
4 week ago in writing here
said that Mr.. Balfour's draft called
for something much more like an
alliance than was actually adopted
] find that 7 was misinformed on
this point and that what Mr.. Bal
four actually brought ashore was
no more than the collection of a few
ideas looking to an arrangement
for insuring contact between the
Pacific powers and the number was
not stated. II was a looser ar
rangement not closer arrange
rent than was finally adopted.
During all the time when the
the ratios" the discussion of the
naval questions in public was little
more than a red herring drawn
across the trail of the debate over
the Pacific question. Everyone rec
ognized that nothing could be done
until the Anglo-Japanese alliance
was eliminated, but everyone equal
" clearly recognized that the
Anglo-Japanese alliance would only
go when certain concessions were
made by the United States.
We wanted to get rid of the al
lance; the success of our whole
a conference depended upon getting
rid of II, just as the success of Mr..
Wilson's league turned upon pre-
venting the French from annexinr
German territory on the left bank
of the Rhine. The. question was
how much We would pay and how
nlach we could pay, for the expe,
Renee in the league of nations nghe
had shown that there was the Sen.
ate to be reckoned with and that
certain checks drawn by American
Representatives in a world confer
ence would not be honored at the
bank.
True Business Yelled.
But in all this time when these
discussions were going on not a
single whisper was permitted 70
leak out as to the real as con-
trasted with the assumed business
OF the conference. The conference
knew everything waited upon the
Pacific treaty. the world believed
that everything was held up pend
ing agreement upon such details as
the, Mutsu and the contending ra-
tics. II any one cares to look back
over the Newspaper reports of the
nrst weeks Of the conferences he
VIII 1pd 1lffla "a nokhfn- "A .ne~e~<