The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-01-24
ENGLISH DEMANDS MEET REF FUSAL IF. TURK DELEGATION
America Takes Important Part in Sensational Develop ments at Near East
 Peace Conference
By Associated Press

LAUSANNE, Jan. 23.-Unsettled as is the general European situation at the present moment, it suddenly took a more menacing turn this evening owing to critical developments in the Near Eastern conference. Turkey re fused to accept the British proposal to refer the Mosul dispute to the League Of Nations for settlement, and Great Britain declined to accept to Turkish unter-suggestions that the question be settled by plebiscite in. xhe contesetd district.
 Lord Curzon then declared that as foreign secretary of the British em- pire he would take the responsibility. of addressing letter to the council of the League of Nations setting forth that a situation had arisen which was liable to disturb international peace, and asking that the matter be dealt with under the covenant, which provides that the league can act when there is war or any threat of war in the world and take steps to restore or to insure the maintenance of peace.
 America Takes Part.
 An important American feature of tonight,s dramatic meeting, was A statement read by Ambassador Child. outlining the position of the United States.
 MT. Child said that Lord Curzon had clearly indicated that the Brit ish government would hold aloof as far as possible from making conces- sion in Mesopotamia. otherwise called Irak, the subject of diplomatic in- terest, and he had declared his belief in the principle that large factors in the worlds resources should not be- come the subject of monopolistic de- velopment.
 The American representatives were glad to associateythemselves with the intent of Lord Curzon's remarks on this subject; they had expressed their governments policy, but neither the statement nor adherence had refer ence to any particular resource or field of economic activity. Only those who wilfully perverted these declarations had read into them meanings which suited their own po- litical ends.
 Claims Not Abandoned.
 Ambassador Child continued: .sThe American representatives feel it their duty to refer to Lord Curzon's spe- cific mention of the validity of the
 
 pany and to remind the conference that without seeking special prdvi- lege or favor, the government of the United States has not assented to the principle that 1t may be disso- ciated in the rights of peace from the usual consequences of association in war nor in other cases where the principle is involved, will 1t abandon its policy of the open door.
 We refer to the substantial cof- respondence our government has al- ready accumulated under two suc- cessive administrations in the United States. So far as a means to furnish protection to legitimate American in- terests is at their hands. it does not affect the duty of the American rep resentatives. whether the Identity of American rights is associated with s commercial or any other American interest"
 Mir. Child concluded by saying that Lord Curzon's reference to a certain corporation afforded an opportunity to suggest that where there were conflicting claims already in exist ence concerning legal rights to re- sources some means should be pro- vided for a judicial settlement of these rights which would give con- plete assurance of impartiality.