The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-07-28
FRIDAY July "a. 1893
NO TEARS For LONDON


DREsIDENT ROOSEVELT and Prime Min
Il ister RAMSAY Macdonald Thursday put up
brave front in trying to prove that the Lon
don economic conference was not failure
IN the ordinary sense. certainly, the confer
ence was failure
But this need not be taken too seriously.
The only persons Who think all IS lost because
Of the conference collapse are those who ex-
pected impossible miracles from it to begin
with
We Americans. especially. are sometimes
naive in our ideas about such conferences. We
are prone to think Of them as meetings which
can change world eyents-just as We once be-
lieyed that prohibition Law could make the
country dry
Actually a Law is effective only to the de-
gree that it reflects public opinion; it merely
ratihes. OF gives legal recognition to, a public
will which already exists. So with an interna-
tional conference; it merely puts formal
stamp on conditions or agreements already
arrived at--or reflects the absence of such
unity among the nations.
before it opened Basic conditions and policies
in the individual countries were such that
major agreements at the conference we're i'm
possible. as this newspaper and many others
pointed out in advance.
Much of the establishment regarding the
London conference springs from the exag-
qerated faith Of Americans in public meetings.
SIMPLE idea is that any international problem
can be solved provided you can get enough
representatives around table to talk it out
in front of the world.
The opposite is true. The records show
that the open covenants are secretly arrived
at And when they are not arrived at secretly,
no covenants are produced.
The reason is obvious. International agree
ments are a matter of trading. Each side must
sacrifice something This can not be done pub
hcly. because national feeling at home will not
permit it.
Thus public sessions of international con-
ferences rarely are honest. The speeches and
statements are of two kinds: Sweet nothings
or declarations for home consumption. The
first kind does not advance actual negotiations,
snd the second kind retards or wrecks actual
negotiations
That is why the important part of a confer
ence is not the conference itself. but the adj
vance preparations" If the secret prepare
tions" result in general agreement and salts
factory trading. then the big public show has
a good chance OF success.
Otherwise. the public show will fail, and in
crease friction Hence the frequency with
which international conferences are called off
altogether or repeatedly postponed.
The mistake of the London conference was
in allowing it to meet Preparations-and fairly
successful preparations-had been made by
President Roosevelt in his confidential CONVEX
sations with Prime Minister Macdonald and
other foreign leaders. But that was in the
spring.
BY SUMMER conditions we're changed vastly
not only in the United States but elsewhere
BY that time however. there had been so
much ballyhoo about the conference to save
the world that the politicians were afraid TO
disappoint the public by calling it off.
They guessed wrong. The public is more
disappointed as it is And the advertised fric
ton and sharp exchanges at London may make
future agreements more difficult
But We should not forget that the i'm
portant thing is a beginning of national re-
covery II We can keep on putting our own
house in order and if other nations will fol-
low our example in their own way within
few months the nations should be able to
negotiate international economic agreements
so essential TO the welfare of all.