Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-06-14

Demands by certain members of the
United States Senate, led by Senator
johnson of California, that the State
Department furnish all the CORE
spondence and exchanges with foreign
governments relating to the naval
treaty, has had only slight support from
the public. 1t is held generally that
the treaty speaks for itself. and that
the disclosure of confidential matters
would embarrass this country in future
negotiations.
After weeks Of hearings upon the
treaty, In two committees" according
to the Charlotte Observer, Senator
Johnson insists upon delving into the
correspondence of the State Depart
ment, instead of studying, the treaty
itself. He cannot say more in two days
than he can say in two minutes, that
he is against the treaty. Senator Nc
ence ended its sitting, publicly urged the
President to call the American delega-
ton home. He was against the treaty
before it was framed"
"Outcry from certain quarters is in
tended to implant the suspicion that.
no information Of any kind would be
withheld save through sinister motives,
In the opinion of the Seattle Daily
Times, which adds as to the chief is
sues Virtually all of the people most
concerned, the people of the United
States, the British commonwealths and
Japan, realize that the naval pact,
while not as far-reaching as some of
them had hoped for, is long step in
the right direction. They can under
stand how it may be subject to some
professional and technical dispute, but
they cannot be made to believe that
they are in danger of betrayal at the
hands of their most trusted leaders"
Appointment of two Senators as
members of the American delegation
certainly represented an honest effort
on the part of the administration to
keep the Senate In touch with the ne
gotiations," AYERS the Rochester, Times
Union, with the further declaration
that las Secretary Stimson says, the
country can be committed to nothing
beyond what the treaty itself specifically
states
president Hoover conceals nothing
which it would be in the public inter-
est to reveal. The country will indorse
his reticence," asserts the Hartford
Times. with the contention that 'if a
contrary precedent should be estab-
lished, no nation would dare intruSt the
condolences of its plenipotentiaries with
the representatives of our Government"
In opposition to the position of the
administration, the Chicago Daily
Tribune remarks: I'm withholding
some of the documents, Secretary Slim
son says he Is aware that opponents
will infer that this course is taken to
cover secret agreements or mistakes,
but that such an inference is nonsense,
there being nothing to cover. Mr.. Slim
son Is right in thinking that there
must be some such inference whether It
Is warrantd or not, and to understand
it he has only to consider the circum-
stances of treaty making. The
expert opinion of the Navy was diScour-
aged before the conference and dis
missed during 1t. The American big
cruiser program was whitfield from %
to 81 to 18 to is. Japan was boosted
out of its Washington ratio. The great
majority OF American naval authorities
oppose the treaty before the Senate.
In view of these facts. Mr.. Stimson
must be prepared TO find that the
Withholding OF the complete record Is
regarded as significant"
THE suspicion Is that the irreducible
minimum of twenty-One 8-inch-gun
cruisers, recommended by the board of
the Navy" states the Manchester
Union, was reduced. before the confer
ence began, to the IS which the treaty
provides. Many naval experts declare
that this reduction leaves the United
States in an unfavorable position in
relation TO Great Britain and Japan.
This point is vital to the discussion of
the treaty, and although the memo-
randum bearing on some OF the infor-
nation which the Senate committee
has requested may be considered by the
administration as meeting the request,
II has not proved satisfactory In re-
moving the suspicion. Both the COM
nnittee and the public have right to
know whether or not this change Of