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Show NEWS REVIEW OF CURRENT EVENTS Acceptance by Japan Makes Way Clear for the Conference Confer-ence in Washington SILESIA CRISIS PASSING France and Britain Reach Agreement and Germany Is Warned Harding's Hard-ing's Plan for Financial Relief of Railroads, Farmers and Cattle Raisers. By EDWARD W. P1CKARD. With a -mind not yet quite at ease In the matter, Japan has sent word that she will accept President Harding's Hard-ing's Invitation to . the Washington vonference to discuss limitation of armaments and questions of the Pacific Pa-cific and the Far East. But this Is to be with certain reservations. These are expressed in the closing part of forcements to the Sllesian garrison and agreed to a meeting of the interallied inter-allied supreme council In Paris August Au-gust 4. But she insisted the question of strengthening the allied forces In the region must first be settled, and also warned the British that any hostile hos-tile act against the French troops or the Poles in the disputed area would result in the immediate occupation of the Ruhr basin, regardless of allied action. Premier Lloyd George, on his part, consented to a meeting of experts to examine into the Sllesian problem, and also conciliated the French by giving the German government a sharp rebuff. re-buff. When France was preparing to send more troops to Silesia, she asked the Germans to supply the transportation. transpor-tation. Berlin sent a note to London, asking if the British Indorsed this demand. To this Downing street replied re-plied curtly that it was an Interallied affair and not discussible with outsiders. outsid-ers. British Ambassador Lord D'Aber-non D'Aber-non in Berlin also told the Germans that if the French or Poles were attacked at-tacked the British would help In the occupation of the Ruhr basin. For some time there have been rumors ru-mors that former Emperor Charles was planning another coup to regain the throne of Hungary. Last week with the trouble De Valera and his colleagues may be having in Dublin to reach a decision, and Intimated the negotiations may continue several weeks. A recent rumor concerning Lloyd George's plan Is that It provides for two senates In Ireland, one for Ulster Ul-ster and one for the rest of the island, each managing Its own affairs but subject sub-ject to an Irish parliament In Dublin in which the members of the lower house shall be elected on a popular representation basis and the upper house shall have equal numbers from the two provinces. President Harding and Director Gen eral Davis of the railroad administration administra-tion having worked out a plan for tha relief of the railroads, the President last week presented It to congress lq a message and asked for legislative, action. Briefly, he urged that the Wal Finance corporation be permitted by congress to purchase about ?500,000, 000 of securities deposited with tha railroad administration as evidence oi the railroad debts to the government, the railroad administration then to apply ap-ply the purchase price against clalma which the roads have against the government, gov-ernment, thus giving the roads funds that they greatly need. "There Is no thought to ask congress for additional Tokyo s latest note to Washington, which reads : "The Japanese government have been made aware through the communications com-munications and the published statement state-ment of the American government and the conversations between the secretary secre-tary of state and Baron Shidehara that the proposition of the American government to discuss the Pacific and Far Eastern problems is based on the close bearing they may have on the question of limitation of armaments, which is the original and principal aim of the conference, and that, therefore, the main object of discussing these problems is to reach a common understanding under-standing in regard to general principles princi-ples and policies in the Pacific and Far East. "In order to Insure the success of the conference, the Japanese government govern-ment deem it advisable that the agenda thereof should be arranged In accordance with the main object of the discussions as above defined, and that introduction therein of problems such as are of sole concern to certain particular par-ticular powers, or such matters as may be regarded accomplished facts, should be scrupulously avoided." Of course, among what Japan considers con-siders "accomplished facts" are the cession of Shantung to Japan and the Yap mandate. But our State department depart-ment Is confident the Japanese can be satisfied In the drawing up of the agenda for the conference, and therefore there-fore Is now preparing the formal invitations in-vitations to the powers. There is a chance that some of the Roumania, Jugo-Slavia and Czechoslovakia Czecho-slovakia signed a treaty providing for a declaration of war against Hungary if Charles should return. It is officially offi-cially announced in Madrid that negotiations ne-gotiations are under way for giving the ex-emperor and his family asylum In Spain. The consent of the other powers Is necessary. Having destroyed a considerable part' of the Turkish nationalist army and advanced so far that even Angora, the nationalist capital, Is threatened, the Greeks are restoring their lines of communication and preparing for the second phase of the offensive. General Gen-eral Papoulas, their commander-in-chief on the Smyrna front, says : "We are not going to let up on Mustapha Kemal Pasha until we have so completely com-pletely dissolved his forces that he will never again be able to put an army In the field." Apparently Kemal realizes re-alizes that he is being thoroughly whipped, for he has appealed to the government at Constantinople to Intervene In-tervene and stop the warfare. How this can be done is not clear. Kemal's own government is said to be abandoning aban-doning Angora and transferring Its archives to Sivas. Evidently Kemal has not been receiving re-ceiving the aid he expected from the Russian bolshevists. Lenin and Trotzky and their soviet crew are themselves in hard straits due to the rapid spread of famine and cholera in Russia. They have appealed loudly loud-ly for help, but the governments thev funds," said Mr. Harding. "No added expense, no investment is required on the part of the government ; there is no added liability, no added tax burden." bur-den." Less definite was the part of the message asking congress to approve assistance to farmers and cattle men. But his plan here, too, rests on added authority for the War Finance corporation, cor-poration, and later Senator Kellogg introduced the administration bill providing pro-viding that whenever the corporation is of the opinion that conditions arising aris-ing out of the war have resulted In an abnormal surplus accumulation of any staple agricultural product, which Is normally exported In substantial quantity, and that the ordinary banking bank-ing facilities are inadequate to carry such products until they can be exported, ex-ported, advances may be made for periods not exceeding one year and up to $1,000,000,000. Either the public health service has been receiving a lot of false Information, Informa-tion, or the public officials of southern states refuse to admit the truth. Recently Re-cently Surgeon General Cummlngs received re-ceived reports that the South Is threatened threat-ened with an epidemic of pellagra and a resulting seml-famlne, and thereupon thereup-on President Harding called on the public health service and the American Ameri-can Red Cross to investigate at once, and devise measures of relief. It was said the low price of cotton, with resulting re-sulting shortage of money, was to blame. The two agencies got busy at once, and at the same time In came themselves full-fledged nations In most respects, will kick up a little trouble because the British empire is to be represented as a unit, with only one vote. Australia already is wailing that she is entitled to a vote as a nation on the Pacific problems. Probably New Zealand, and possibly Canada, feel the same way. Rene Yiviani and Albert Sarrault, minister of colonies, are to represent France at the conference con-ference ; and Premier Briaud also may come. No decided opposition to holding the conference In Washington has developed, devel-oped, but the date of Its opening remains re-mains to be settled. The United States tentatively mentioned November 11, Armistice day, because It would be sentimentally suitable, but again the British dominions protest. Many of their legislative bodies are In session during the fall months, and as their premiers wish to be present at the conference, they are urging that a later date be selected for Its assembling. assem-bling. It may be they can be satisfied by preliminary informal consultations between Pacific powers which will enable en-able them to put their views on record. rec-ord. Through mutual concessions France yielding the most Great Britain Brit-ain and France have reached an understanding un-derstanding on the Upper Sllesian question, and the threatened break In the entente will not occur just yet, anyhow. France abandoned her Intention In-tention of sending Immediate re-en- have so long flouted are deaf to their calls. Even the United States, always al-ways generous In response to the wails of the suffering, has told the soviet government, through a note from Secretary Sec-retary Hoover, that any relief measures meas-ures would depend' largely on the treatment of the Americans held prisoners pris-oners by the bolshevists. This was re-enforced re-enforced by a note from the State department de-partment formally and curtly demanding demand-ing the release of those prisoners, and the soviet rulers already had been told there would be no consideration of closer relations with Russia until the Americans were set free. The distress In Russia Is such that Trotzky has been given dictatorial powers to handle the situation, and all government projects except those for relief have been suspended. The Irish affair Is still in status quo, De Valera and the Sinn Fein cabinet have been studying Lloyd George's offer, of-fer, but have let it be known that It cannot be accepted until the British have released the Imprisoned mernters of Daii Eireann so that parliament can have a full meeting to discuss the plan. The British government is willing will-ing to free these men if De Valera will make the request, but the Sinn Felners feel that for lilm to do this would be in effect a recognition of the government's right to imprison representatives repre-sentatives of Ireland. Lord High Chancellor Birkenhead In a speech In the house of lords, asked that parliament parlia-ment and the country have oatlence the protests of the southern states. In all cases the state health officials took issue with the reports of the public health service, most of them denying vigorously that there was any increase of pellagra and all denying that the situation wns serious or that a semi-famine semi-famine threatened. The Illinois scandal, or comedy whichever way you look at It had an amazing development when Governor Small, Indicted for embezzlement of state funds, decided that he was Immune Im-mune to arrest during his term In office of-fice and considered the calling out of state troops to protect himself. Ills lawyers, appearing before Judge Smith of Springfield as "amlcl curiae," advised ad-vised the court that the governor was Immune, ridiculously basing their assertion as-sertion on the old maxim that "the king can do no wrong." The Judge humored their solemn dignity with a long and erudite opinion, In which he completely riddled their position, turned their authorities against themselves them-selves and made It quite clear that In his view these friends of the court were offering decidedly unfriendly advice. ad-vice. He ruled that the governor, like any other man, was not Immune to arrest ar-rest and prosecution for crime, and ordered the sheriff to take him Into custody after giving him reasonable time to surrender. At this writing Mr. Small Is still at large, conferring with his political friends, presumably trying to find some way out of the dl I lemma. I |