The Dominion SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 1921. “A RAINBOW ACROSS THE SKY”

Dominion, Volume 15, Issue 42, 12 November 1921, Page 6

The Dominion SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 1921. “A RAINBOW ACROSS THE SKY”

The Washington Conference, which opens to-day, will mark for good or ill a decisive turning point in human history. Mb. Lloyd George has called it “a rainbow across the sky,' 1 and his phrase gives apt and telling expression to the hopes which centre in . this great international gathering. Here, if anywhere, a way of escape must be found from conditions in whi<?h the leading nations of the world find themselves in,- imminent danger of drifting into a welter of competing armaments which would sap their strength and undermine their welfare even if.it did not involve them sooner or later, as it almost inevitably would,, in destructive conflict. Although the possibilities of friendly agreement between the nations are very far from being determined, Ihe assembling of this historic conference is in a real sense a rainbow across the international sky., It means that a purposeful- effort will be made at least to lay the foundations of such an understanding between nations as will enable them to live at peace and advance tho ideals upheld in life and death by tho heroes to whom a tribute of gratitude is paid on Armistice Day. The hopes based upon the Conference find their principal justification in the- fact that all nations,. and not least the , naval Powers fronting the Pacific, have a common and supreme interest in averting a ruinous waste of their resources on armaments and the creation of conditions likely to result in war. If. no other factor entered, early and complete agreement between the representatives of the Powers assembled at Washington might be anticipated as a matter of course, but newspaper and other discussions leading up to the Conference have made it obvious that the real problem to be solved is that of adjusting differences in national outlook and point of view. Nothing would more certainly condemn the Conference to failure than an attempt by any one nation to enforce ..acceptance qCits own cut and dried ideas. In the interests of a successful outcome, it' is to be hoped that the American delegation will take up an attitude somewhat less inflexible than is suggested by oun American correspondent. (Mb. F. H. Simonds) in an article which appears to-day. Mb. Simonds declares in effect that America is fully prepared to go to war in order to enforce her- ideas of the “Open Door” in China upon Japan, and that at the Conference'she expects to be. supported ’ unreservedly by Great Britain in compelling Japan to accept in principle and practice the policy of the “Open Door.” ' If this is a true interpretation of the American attitude it is impossible to anticipate any useful result from the Conference discussions, hut possibly our correspondent has by this time seen some reason in the changed atmosphere to modify the opinions he expressed when he wrote his article last month. , In their indication of the trend of opinion in. America as well as in other countries concerned, the cablegrams of the last week or two have decidedly strengthened the hope that the- Conference may be able to reach results of practical value. Britain, however, will certainly refuse to be dragooned into supporting-, either America or Japan in any such fashion.as our correspondent suggests. ■The only course Britain can-take is to deal on its merits with each question raised. She has already given signal proof of her own sincere desire to limit naval armaments, and is well placed to invite a similar demonstration, of good faith' by the other Powers represented at. the Conference'. Whether the AngloJapanese Alliance is to be continued must depend upon the nature and extent of that “co-operation without contract,” which our correspondent declares, no doubt quite accurately, to be the maximum result attainable in the Washington discussions. Britain and Japan are neither of them irrevocably wedded to the renewal of the Alliance. Only a few days ago the principal Japanese were quoted as stating that the Japanese Government would not necessarily ■ insist upon the maintenance of the Alliance, which was incompatible with the spirit of tne Washington Convention, and that Japan was quite prepared'to accept an Anglo-Ame-rican-Japanese compact, and to fall back upon the Anglo-Japanese Alliance only if the Conference resulted neither in a triple entente nor in the limitation of armaments. Britain, no doubt, will adhere solidly to the position that any departure from the Anglo-Japanese Alliance must be made, on terms fair to Japan as well as to herself and America.