Show I 1 international AFFAIRS the league of nations though functioning without tile the operation cooperation co of the united states accomplished much during the alic year chiefly through its council which met in parts paris on february bary 21 and immediately referred proposed amendments to the covenant to a committee president wilson who luring during january had bad withdrawn I 1 the american cepres representatives senta tives from the council of ambassadors and the reparations coroll slon on february 28 sent to the league council a strong protest against the inclusion of the island of yap in territories subjected to the mandate of japan and also formally demanded tor for america a voice in the disposal of the former I 1 german colonies the council in reply said it was not concerned with the allocation of yap to japan and invited the united states to take part in discussions concerning the turkish and african mandates A month after the republican administration took office secretary of state hughes reiterated M sir r wilsons Wll Wil sons stand concerning yap tap and mandates in general and 1 later inter france and italy indorsed endorsed Indor sed americas position in the controversy over the island though japan formally re fused fut ed to give up her mandate there I 1 after that dispute was the su subject of long drawn out negotiations between k the united states and japan which led to a treaty by which the united states was assured equal rights in A 8 yap and other islands mandated to I 1 i japan 01 11 the council of ambassadors in I 1 janu ury gave germany more time to its arm appointed a commission to pais on oil Aus economic status decided y A r that latvia and esthonia Esth onla should he be i y recognized as sovereign states and ya 4 fabe alie n fixed the german reparations at I 1 t p t gold marks payable in f f anoual annual install installments men is and 12 per cent tax on exports during the period of X payment this reparations decision y created consternation in germany and berlin at once began efforts to persuade sul liffe the united states to intervene A in her behalf the wilson administration made no response e but on april 0 2 secretary hughies informed Inform sd germany the united states would not countenance tier her escaping full responsibility lity tor for the war or getting out of paying to the limit of tier her ability A few days earlier berlin having failed to make tile lie first riny payments ments french troops occupied Duess eldorf duls burg ant and the british objected wrongly i to this independent action and france withdrew it would be tedious to detail tile the negotiations I 1 over tile hie reparations bill suffice it to say that germany with doctor wirth us as chancellor was compelled to accept the figures of WOW gold marks finally dually decided on oil by the supreme council made the payments due luring during the year but on december 14 announced that eliat the in major part of 1 the burris due in the early part of 1 could not he raised and ancl J 7 i many economists agreed that to drive 1 1 tier her into absolute bankruptcy would 1 I 1 be disastrous to the rest of the world A toward the close of tile the year there f was increasing talk of arranging a 14 0 I 1 moratorium to three earn far ast ki her ber france was the chief objector to such lucli delay as she relied on the amey oney due her from Gert bany but I 1 she showed allowed signs of yielding to the general blew division of upper silesia between germany and poland caused a lot of trouble A plebiscite was beld there in li march tarch but both sides asserted it uns mas unfair and early in may the region was waa invaded by polish irregulars thinly veiled support was given them by the Wars warsaw amr government and also by the french and there succeeded a long series of lights between them and german volunteer forces the entente corrlale cord lale tale of the allies was wag near to rupture but in june british troops entered the territory and began clearing out the poles tile the dispute was referred to the league council which in october announced the boundary lines neither germany nor poland was waa satisfied but both accepted the decision all through the year the greeks fought the turkish nationalists allsto in anatolia with varying fortune while the alie billed allied powers held aloof though offering medin mediation flon which greece refused in november france made a treaty with the government which aroused protests from great britain and led to diplomatic negotiations the united states stales formally made pen peace ce with the central powers the treaty with austria being signed august 24 that with germany august 25 and the pact with hungary august 29 in these treaties america reserved all that was given her by the treaty of versailles which the seriate had refused to ratify president harding on july 10 issued informal invitations to great britain france italy find and japan to send representatives to washington for a conference on limitation of armament and far fast east questions acceptance from all was already assured by a process of feeling out find and on oil augut august 11 the formal invitations vent meat out china belgium holland and portugal being asked to participate in discussions invoking the far east the foremost statesmen ot of these nine powers were named as delegates and on november 12 the momentous inen tous conference opened with imposing ceremony almost immediately secretary hughes put forward americas plan for reduction and limitation of naval armament including a naval holiday for ten years the scrapping of all shipbuilding programs destruction of vessels to a certain point and the maintenance of the navies of america great brita britain in and japan on a az 5 5 8 basis the plan was formally accepted by the delegates of those nations on december 15 and to the agreement were added clauses for tile preservation of the status quo of naval bases and fortification in the western pacific ot of almost equal importance was the four power pomer pact accepted by the conference on december 13 this was cast in the form of a treaty by which the united states great britain france and japan agreed to m maintain pence peace in the pacific the A anglo anglo jap anese treaty being abrogated china offered some very difficult problems to the conference and all the demands of her delegates were not the conferees however did enter into an agreement to remove many of the forel foreign gri restrictions on china and to respect the territorial and administrative integrity of the lie oriental republic anil and preserve the open door for trade and industry of all nations direct allons between the chinese and japanese delegates resulted in japans agreeing to restore IS shantung province to china upon receiving payment for the railway it was evident from the first that the conference could not to do much in the matter of limitation of 0 land armaments so long as the situation in central europe remained so unsettled premier briand was present to give voice to Fran frances cels needs of protection and tears fears of aggression by germany and possibly by russia nis his eloquent speech so far convinced the conference that the other powers gave assurance that france would neer iwer be left ifft in the moral isolation which she feared president harding has clung to his idea that an association of nations can be formed which would do what the league of nations cannot do and on november 25 lie he put forward the suggestion of a continuing series of conferences feren ces lelce ce that in washington presumably might result in the formation ct the association the idea u ans ns received with favor everywhere except that the french demurred murr ed at the proposed propose inclusion of germany I 1 |