Show AMERICAN DIPLOMACY secretary ot of state hughes fairly stunned the diplomats of 0 the world who are representing their countries in the limitation of armaments conference when hen he proposed a naval holiday for ten years and expressed the willing willingness neEs of the united states to scrap part of the present navy it 1 is blunt suggestion that the best way to disarm is to disarm great britain japan and the balance of the rowers powers agree to the suggestion in substance amended proposals are sure to be presented as the conference progresses navy officials of our own and foreign countries may be expected to protest most vigorously against the hughes plan and the men and interests who profit from building armaments are not the class of business men who are going to see their business go to pot without making a terrific fight already the opposition to the administration plan so ably stated slated by mr hughes is beginning to crystallize cryst alize and fifty seven varietine vari etie b of reasons are being urged against it the most fainthearted faint taint hearted opponents want to keep the plants alive and they state many reasons like that pertaining to unemployment confiscation of property 1 etc but the effect of it all so EO sar jar as the big questions are concerned tends to feed the spark of militarism so that the expensive job of building great battleships may not bo be permanently abandoned in washington one hears bears everywhere the talk that the big battleships are already an obsolete instrument of great warfare the palaces of the thel seas are in disrepute because airships chemicals and other devices and agencies proved more effective in the last war and science has bap given them first place in the needs of what is referred to as the next war so much against the battleship and all ol of this favors the american diplomatic plan it must not be forgotten in the exuberance of 0 the that scrapping of battleships and a naval holiday is but an incidental feature 0 ot the conference limitation of armaments is theoretically possible and really very probable in putting it ahead of everything else the adminis tra tr atlon tion played its trump card the congress of the united states has made it plain that it will back up mr hughes words and the psychology of this is tar far reaching and is sure to have great weight as the conference proceeds with its work but the far eastern questions are on the schedule and they carry with them the main differences that are to be fought out in the proceedings of the coming weeks the japanese are to be asked to give up great demands that they have made in the orient and to relinquish hopes that have grown with them to the point of the right of possession japan is not likely to consent tamely it is a safo prediction to say at this time that there are storms ahead and if the expected shall happen that the nations of the world attempt 0 bring such tremendous pressure upon japan as to make her submit it is not improbable that by that time that the naval holiday will become somewhat obscured in the excitement of affairs while the naval holiday Is paramount at this time the shifting current of events is likely to press that matter into the background as issues are raised between the nations particularly between the united states and japan and with great britain heavily involved these issues may threaten the continuation of the conference and they may even break it up entirely the outstanding promising feature of the conference exists in the apparent confidence of the world diplomats in the good intentions intention of each otier other the usual terms of social intercourse are being cultivated and the american administration is recognized as the leading factor not only in handling the proceeding but bin in ill suggesting methods tor for international diplomacy but while our dominant power is fully recognized by all it is still only fair to the foreigners to say that they do not regard us as being as unselfish as we claim we are or as we believe ourselves to be this grows out of the fact that it is necessary for our delegation to make inake it very clear to the japanese that we disapprove their course in international affairs afi aft airs and not only insist that they shall modify their policies but that we will not regard in a friendly manner their further alliance with great britain the japanese in looking out of their green goggles see everything in green colors and from the very outset they have made it clear that they are here to insist on what they term as their rights the english and other conferees while in amiable moods are nevertheless in the hem and haw class and while there is room for optimism that optimism must be tempered by such knowledge as we have of the interests of each nation to make good bargains for the world but a better bargain tor for itself if one might know what all these selfish schemes are that are buzzing under diplomatic hats the future of the conference might be more safely predicted but in all probability the public never will know much about these questions because the groups of the conference tire are substantially the outlet by which secret diplomacy will arrive at its covenants as it was in the beginning is now and likely will be for all time we do not know however that there is not a clear unanimity of opinion about the size of the navies to be kept going under the hughes suggestions mr bryan sitting in the conference as a reporter but nevertheless a big factor in the thinking processes of the american nation has suggested that the united states cancel the war debts owed by foreign governments so tar far he be is a lonely minority but possibly that idea may grow and fit into the deliberations delibert ions of the coming weeks in a very large way mr bryan is not alone among the idealists idea lists who patiently watch the machinations of diplomacy and the newspaper end of the conference is occupied by men like H G wells and great numbers of others whose names could be mentioned whose ideas of reconstruction in world affairs have been more generally accepted than those of the men who actually compose the conference for such conferences are composed almost entirely of politicians who have gone so high on that ladder that they are call called ed statesmen and it is to be hoped that many of them in this conference will demonstrate that they are what they are reputed to be |