Evening star., 1924-12-19
PRESIDENTS PEACE
AIMS RETARDED BY
TALK IN CONGRESS
Difficult to Keep Japanese
From Taking 0ffense at
Britten Resolution.
BIGGER NAVY CLAM0R
FIRST TROUBLE MAKER
Executive Branch Feels Relations
of Two Countries Can Be Cordial
if Agitations Cease.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

The same old story-shan Congress
or the Executive conduct the foreign
relations of the United States-has
cropped out anew.
Having offended Japan by restric
live legislation last Summer, Congress
is again the scene of debate, the eff
feet of which. 1t is anticipated, will
not help relations between Washing
ton and Toxic, and may, on the other
hand, make even more difficult the
already great burden on the President
and Secretary of State in keeping Of
Iicial intercourse with Japan on a
friendly basis.
1t all started through the clamor
for a bigger Navy, but it was inten-
sified by the isolated action of Rep
resentative Britten of Illinois, Re-
publican, a ranking member of the
naval committee, who asked the
House of Representatives to adopt a
asolution authorizing the President
10 call on the white nations border
ing on the Pacific" to confer on de-
Jensive measures.
Annoyance Mt Bill.
Mr.. Britten's idea doesn't represent
the sentiment of Congress, but when
cabled to Japan explanations are not
always made of the exact Importance
of each resolution. Coming as it does
at the same time that the clamor is
for q larger Navy and when the
American Navy is planning maneuvers
in the Pacific, the Britten resolution
:nnoyed the Department of State to
the extreme.
The President had just started a
campaign of denial through the press,
hoping that the jingoes would be
fquelched. But he had hardly finished
that when the resolution to get up a
conference of the nations bordering
on the Pacific was launched at a ban
Duet of representatives of the cham
bers of commerce of Pacific Coast
states and representatives in Con-
gress from the Coast.
Several of the Pacific coast mem
bers, including Chairman Johnson of
Washington of the House immigra-
1ion committee, are insisting that the
Britten resolution is unwise and that
IT does not represent the true senti-
men of the people of the United
States who live in the Pacific coast
region.
Some Damage Already Done.
But some of the damage has been
done and the executive branch of
the Government realizes it so much
that Secretary Hughes broke a prece-
dent in the last "a hours by com
mentfng officially on the appointment
by Japan of a new Ambassador He
TOOK occasion to speak in compli-
snentary terms of the new envoy
and Japan knows that his purpose
was to allay any i'll feeling that
might have been caused by the re-
cent anti-Japanese agitations and the
implications of the talk about a
greater navy
The executive branch of the Gov
ernment feels that if the two gov
ernments are left alone and public
opinion is not infiamed by untoward
incidents or provocative action in the
legislatures of either country the re-
lations between Japan and the United
States will be improved and a way
ultimately will be found to remove
1he causes of the present irritation.
Meanwhile, the American Govern
ment is endeavoring to do all in its
power to convince the Japanese peo-
PIE that there is no hostility on this
side OF the Pacific. Although Wash
3ngton cannot influence the States,
't would be most gratifying to the
administration here if some demon
stration of friendship came from the
Pacific Coast people to offset the i'm
preston conveyed by the Britten
resolution, which purported to repre-
sent Pacific Coast opinion.
(Co-Ericht- 1anI.1