The New York herald., 1922-01-15
Destroys Competition in
Battleships, Cause of Sus-
picion Among Nations.
U. s. AND BRITAIN CLOSER
Together in Spiritual Partner
ship They Could Build a
New World.
BY SIR PHILIP GIBBS.

BY SIR PHILIP GIBBS.
1t is now possible to estimate the
actual results achieved by the Wash
ington conference and to strike a fair
balance between its success and its
failure in the enormous task of ar
ranging a worldwide pact Of peace.
In calling the conference President
Harding and Mr.. Hughes were careful,
both officially and unoff1cially, to limit
its purpose to certain definite objects
and to check the rather exaggerated
hopes Of popular opinion reawakened
and inspired by this summons to the
great Powers. It was limited to the
possibility Of decreasing naval arma-
ments on a relative scale in order to
avoid a competition in the building of
battleships which would inevitably
lead to war, and as second and vital
part Of the program to create a
friendly agreement among the Pacific
Powers whereby peace should be
fairly secured by a self f-denying or
dinance with regard to China.
That broadly was the scope Of the
invitation to Washington, but among
the masses Of peoples in many coun-
tries and especially, I think, in the
United States and Great Britain hopes
went higher and further than that
This call to the Washington confer
ence was like bugle call heralding
that new leadership which so many
have been waiting until hope deferred
made the heart sick. It seemed to be
the first sign that after three years of
moral stupor and insanity following
the world convulsion of war the lead
ers of great nations were about to get
to grips with reality and to begin the
reorganization OF the world on a basis
Of common sense, economy and con-
ciliation which would relieve humanity
of many lurking perils and restore the
lost sense of security.
England Is Doubtful.
Has the Washington conference done
that work or fulfilled these hopes? AS
far as I can test public opinion in
England there Is no belief that it has
done so. There is still no sense Of
security, but an instructive anxiety for
the future because Of racial pressures
and rivalries stronger than any agree
ment made in Washington and re-
vealed more clearly rather than as
euaged by the conference.
Japan is still hungry for expansion.
Her hunger is not eased though she
has behaved at the conference table
with good manners and some chival-
lous concessions to the immediate call
for self-denial.
France has revealed a naval policy
surprising and alarming to her neigh
Dor across the Channel, though repu-
dating all suggestions of unfriendly
motives.
Russia has issued a warning re-
garding her own interest in the settle
ment Of the Pacific, and it seemed like
a visit from the dead, though Russia
has 150,000,000 souls alive whose de-
scendants some time in the future
will not be lightly disregarded. In
spite of the mastery handling of the
by Mr.. Hughes and the
real spirit Of friendly compromise and
conciliation shown by most Of the
public opinion, watching
from afar. has been made uneasy by
a sense of sinister possibilities and
forces stirring under the surface of
all this talk and these agreements.
This sense Is hard to define. 1t is like
the feeling of those who are sensitive
to atmospheric currents foreboding
thunder. / think it is due to the
heavy pessimism of peoples whose IL
lusions survived the shock of war, but
went down before the shock of peace
which has fulfilled none Of their hopes
and has left economic chaos.
Brings Goal Nearer.
am one OF those who see the real
though partial success of TIE Wash
ington conference while realizing that
It has only been the first step toward
tho great and distant goal Of world
peace. Let us look at it's practical
It has actually and
definitely destroyed that competition
in big battleships which would have
been an intolerable burden and most
powerful cause OF suspicion and III
will. 1t has substituted an interna-
uOuhi unucTsbtuuiHS aHiolb inc great
Powers OF the Pacific for an Anglo
Japanese alliance. 1t las pledged the
honor OF sea Powers--no more than
that. but as much--to avoid the prac-
tical use OF the submarine in time OF
war. 1t has been said that Great
Britain had gained most of all out of
the Washington conference.
I think that is undeniably true and
the greatest thing we have gained,
tie thing which TO some of us Is the
biggest thing in the world, is a
stronger chance of Anglo American
friendship. There are foolish and evil
and suspicious minds in both coun-
tries. let us not pretend otherwise.
and IL the Washington conference had
not happened the building OF Ameri-
can and British bsttleships would have
been cause of cancerous growth I'm
the spirit of those stirrers up OF strife
The jingoes in Great Britain and
those who profit out OF war would
have beaten up new scare. and be-
cause OF E,ngland's utter dependence
on sea communications for very life
II would have been possible, though