Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-27
CONFERENCE FEELS
|SOV|ETS' INFLUENCE
Russia Held ''Vast Invisible
Presence" Though Not in
Dangerous Sense.
BY EDWARD PRICE BELL.

d EDWARD FhACE BELL.
BY Radio to The Star and the Chicago DAN.
News. Copyright, 1880.
LONDON, England, January a..
There Is at the f1ve-power Naval Con.
ference a vast. invisible presence. Il
is as unobtrusive as it is vast. 1t is as
mute as it is invisible. As a presence
itself does not speak, so it is not spoken
about-or, at least, not much, and never
openly. Yet it is here. 1t is in the
thoughts of the delegates-in some
definitely, in others vaguely. Its in
tangible approach is from two direc-
tions-acroSs Europe from the east anC
across the Pacific from the west.
refer to the great political fact of Soviet
Russia.
Not Of Violent Force.
Russia's influence at the conference
it should be said at once, is no dis
turbing or diSintegrating influence. Its
effect on the contrary, is excellent
Russia, whether she knows it or not
she probably does-is tending to create
sense of community in the five powers
of highest maritime rank. These
powers are not liked by Russia. They
are bourgeois" powers. They obstruci
the world revolution of the prole-
tariat." They are "imperialistic." One
day the grand new Russian idea of the
sovereignty of the workers may bring
down their governments in ruins.
Japan In the West Pacific, not relish
ing the prospect held out to it BY
Sovietism, is on its guard against posi-
BILE aggression by way of Siberia. The
stronger Japan becomes with the West
erin powers, the safer it will be should
Russia turn dangerous. Italy, in South
ern Europe-the country sometime;
accredited with arresting the westward
movement of bolshevism during the
World War-takeS no more delight In
Sovietism and its ambitions than does
Japan. Italy, indeed, is peculiarly
sensitive to the possibilities of the arro-
CANT assertion of Slavic power and
drawing near to the peaceful nations
with dominant strength at sea.
Become Natural Allies.
How about the other three of the five
powers at the conference? If there i
a nation In the world that is anti.
bolshevik, France is so. Any force on
the continent of Europe that is hostile
to Soviet aggression is in that respect
natural ally of France. II Germany
for instance, continues to identify itSeli
In moral unity of non-aggreSSion anC
obedience to international lava course
which that great republic is expected
unhesttatingly to take-it automatically
becomes by that act the first European
line OF defense not only of France, but
OF all the countries participating ir
this conference. Germany's position II
Europe, that is to say, in the circum.
stances described, viii be akin II
Japan's position in the Far East, where
the island empire is the Occident's frs
line Of defense against any Soviet
threat which might arise in that par
of the world.
AS to Great Britain and America, Il
thus is seen that with Western Europe
solid against violent revolution and The
premier power of Eastern Asia in the
same condition, they have protective
bastions on both their eastern anc
western TANKS. The peril to ethel
Great Britain or America from Russia
may seem too remote for practical Is.
cussions, but it Is far less remote thar
1t seems.
Unceasing Agitation.
Bolshevik agitation goes on ceaselessly
throughout the world and any seriou,
threat to orderly life anywhere is 6
JAACdb dloO W b11C WOIIQ~WlQG interests
Of the EneliSh-speaking states. It re.
quires small imaginative resource t.
perceive that an English-speaking world
f1anked by stable, powerful states o.
sympathetic civilizations, is in a much
happier position than it would occupy
II there were weak or uncertain bull.
warkS on each side of 1t.
Present at the conference as indi.
Gated, Russia, nevertheless, inspire.
among the delegates no thought of &
conscious association Of the power,
against Sovietism. The countries repre-.
sented here are against Soviet Russis
only in the sense and to the degree tina
Soviet Russia may be against them. II
other words, the sole inspiration of tn,
Naval Conference is defensive anC
pacific. So long as Russia remains non.
aggressive, she need fear no aggression
nor even the most spectral dream of il
from anything to issue from the Londor
struggle to dedicate the seas to worlc
peace.
Occasional abuse from the Soviet
politicians the naval conferees fully
expect. They will not return it. Anc
they will also bear in mind appreci.
atively that the Soviet government
signed and ratified the BRAND Kellogt
pact, and, Notwithstanding the recent
Chinese Russian affair, has yet to give
actual evidence of faithlessneSs.
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