Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-12-11
BY BEN McKELWAY.

n QUO nub,ic interest than a conference
~ devoted to prolonging the Ire OF man
The same phenomenon apphed 10 lr'el'
national gatherings means that public interest
in the proceedings is inVersely propoi 'ioiioi
to the amount of peace and protherV .oVe
exhibited in their conduct. A meetlhS heiu
under the auspices of the League OF Nauons
to discuss ways and means OF conlrolhhs the
spread of cholera will produce scant heauilhee'
but if one delegate refers to another delegale
as an imbecile, reaches for a paper Welgnl
and lodges a bottle of ink, the cables VIII
hmm and the world will sit up and take notice
Likewise and in connection with the forthcom-
ing Sixth International Conference OF amer
lean States in Havana next month, speculation
and conjecture can only be described as rife
most of it centering around the theory that
considerable dynamite is to be exploded, and
little Of 1t dwelling upon what VIII be accom-
plished in the advancement of good understands
ing and progressive development on the west
ern Hemisphere. The latter subjects are neither
spectacular nor exciting, though very heces'
sary, important and prosac.
Several factors have emphasized the inn
portance of the Havana meeting Inc hlst
is the selection of unusually strong deie-
cation to represent the United States, headed
by Charles Z. Hughes. Another is the TACT
that the President of the United States viii
attend the conference These two have been
linked with a third to lend them additional en-
phasis, the third being that feeling throughout
the other American republics toward the United
States is not friendly it might be, and
efforts may, therefore, be made at Havana 10
sling several large chunks of mud at the benign
countenance of Uncle Sam. The strong Amerl'
can delegation and the presence of President
Coolidge at the opening of the conference have
been interpreted to mean that the United
States will be prepared for all eventualities
foy dirloY
lists is rather optimistic, and the prospects Tor
enlivening disagreement and bright, newsy dis
cord are somewhat pessmistic. Since their in.
auguration in Washington in 1889, the inter
national conferences of the American states
have always been able to steer a course around
the rocks and shoals which usually beset voy
ages into international discussion, and there is
not a whole lot upon which to base doleful
representations regarding the coming confer
ence in Havana. These conferences have always
been notable for their careful selection of topics
which will not lend themselves to fiery political
discourse. despite the inevitable presence of
many fiery political discoursers. Discretion has
been chosen as the better part of valor in
adopting the agenda, for the simple reason that
the conferences between the American repub-
lies are intended to accomplish definite things
but accomplishment becomes hopeessly lost il
tangled in a of controversial oratory or
poemica discourse. The conferences were
never created as halls for the airing Of political
grievances. Ihere Is no immediate intention
of making such hall of the Havana confer
ence. The majority of the delegates will take
this view.
study of the agenda for the Havana con.
ference reveals eight subjects listed for dis.
cussion and possible action. Seven of them
are important but rather colorless. They deal
with the reorganization, already virtually
agreed upon, of the Pan.American Union in
Washington, reorganization which confines
itself mainly to perfecting the machinery of
that valuable institution and which will per.
NIT representation upon it's governing board
of countries which have no diplomatic repre-
sentatives in the Capital; with problems of
communication; with intellectual cooperation
between the American republics; with economic
problems of the Americas; with their social
problems with reports on treaties, conventions
and resolutions, and with plans for future con-
ferences 1t is only in the eighth subject,
listed on the agenda as Topic 2, Matters OF