The Evening Star THURSDAY, MARCH 23, 1922.

Evening Star, Issue 17926, 23 March 1922, Page 6

The Evening Star THURSDAY, MARCH 23, 1922.

Though it is mot likely to go to so many rounds, the fight against The Fight for tho Washington treaties tho Treaties, rages just as fiercely in

tho American Senate as tho. fight against tho League of Nations Covenant did before it. One would have thought that tho capacity of American, senators for suspicion and denunciation must have been exhausted by their attacks upon tho fruit of President Wilson’s idealism ; but it is plain that any President in America can expect to meet with a sea of troubles who aspires ,to anything more than the most parochial policy. It has been hard for opponents to find fault with tho Limitation of Armaments Treaty, which promises to save America, hundreds of millions of pounds in the next ten years, while ensuring for her a navy that will be second to no other; but the PourPower Pact, for the safeguarding of tho Pacific’s peace, is being assailed as viciously as if the immediate promotion of war and not its avoidance was its object. No language has been too severe for the denunciation of this “ gentlemen’s agreement,” which pledges tho parties to do nothing but respect one another’s interests and confer when dangers to peace might bo tho result of misunderstanding. The treaty, says Senator Johnson, is an “alliance born of fear, and an attempt to barter America’s heritage ns a rtieans of ensuring America's safety.” “A more iniquitous document than even the League of Nations” makes tho gist of Senator Shields’s condemnation. “ Conceived in secrecy,” and suggestive of an alliance to “bind tho four Powers for the purpose of monopolising the Pacific Islands,” makes its offence in tho eyes of Senator Hitchcock. A section of those American senators must bo almost the most suspicions people on earth. Senator Borah is incensed by his belief in a secret understanding between Great Britain and the United States to co-operate against Japan in the event of trouble in the Far East. Not a scrap of direct evidence has been shown for this suspicion—tho alleged understanding has been denied by all the members of tho American delegation to the conference, from Mr Hughes downwards ; but even if such an agreement had been mado it would bo an occasion more for Japanese than American resentment. A main, object of the treaty was to put an end to the fear, equally unreasonable, of Americans that in a future war Great Britain might bo found fighting against them on tho side of Japan. A proportion of dissentients aro illogically disgruntled with tho treaty as an effort to avert immediate war, and tho British Ambassador has been forced to deny a rumor crediting him with expressions which might indicate that intention for it. Even the naval compact has been assailed, on tho ground that, in conjunction with tho Four-Power Agreement, it “makes it impossible for us to defend the Philippines and Guam or for ns to go and attack Japan.” It would be a wild American admiral who should attempt to defend tho Philippines in the event of the war with Japan which this treaty has been planned to avert; and the railers against “ British and Japanese imperialism” give small thought to how they may appear as imperialists when they show such ill-informed anxiety for the retention of their own foreign possessions. The psychology of all this opposition to tho treaties is not easy to understand. To sorno extent tho suspicion of Americans that their statesmen can only bo overreached and fooled, in international discussions is a natural consequence of the political isolation in which America was content to live up till a few years ago. By the simple politicians of Missouri and Idaho all negotiations of American leaders with those of far wider experience from the older world tend to bo viewed with the same distrust as would be felt for a country youth pitting his brains for tho first time against the sharp intellects of the city. That feeling will be lessened when America gets more used to international affairs and conferences. Meanwhile distrust of the capacity of some foreign Powers to be the best working partners for the United States doubtless has been increased by tho concern of their delegates to gain all they could, while surrendering as little as possible to the requirements of peace, though it would bo hard to say that that spirit has boemfess evident in present opponents of the treaties. Tho fight against thorn in the Senate has been waged largely, though not entirely, by tho same men who caused Mr Wilson’s Covenant to bo repudiated there; and, as was tho case previously with the Covenant, the opponents of the Washington treaties have been encouraged from tho first by tho unlovely Hearat Press, whoso chief mission has long been to sow seeds of distrust between tho two great English-speaking races. Tho issue in tho Senate will bo decided to-morrow, in accordance with the programme of that assembly; and ns the result of the voting on earlier motions it is expected, though with no excess of confidence, that the treaties will be ratified. Highly promising agreements for the world’s peace will be brought to nothing if they are not, and the other nations will have small inducement to enter future conferences with, America. "There is a feeling in the world,” Senator Underwood has said, “ that the United .States cannot make a compact and be bound by it.” It would bo a sad reflection on tho Constitution of the greatest republic if that fear, to which too much support has been given in tho last few years, should he justified. ,