WASHINGTON SIDELIGHTS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18465, 28 January 1922, Page 13

WASHINGTON SIDELIGHTS

WAYS OP THE JAPANESE ENERGETIC WOMEN, While the forces of the conference on the limitation of armament played and interplayed on the world stage in Washington curious and interesting little scenes were enacted far behind tho proscenium or of! in the winge (writes the special, correspondent of the Melbourne Argus). The searchlight of world attention well illuminated the main drama, yet much occurred in the encircling chiaroscuro that was amusing or thought-compelling. Upon occasions so many things were happening at one time that it was all-confusing, and tho best that tho observer could do was to follow the main trend of events and keep the eyes and the mind from the minor occurrences. It would have been a pity, however, if keen and interested onlookers had neglected the sidelights, some of which will linger withthose who viewed them long after the impressions ol larger happenings may have faded out.

If, as it was quickly apparent, tho Washington Conference was to illustrate one-of the great triumphs of modern democracies, then there was one little happening in Washington shortly after the second plenary session that - demonstrated how democracy works out in some of tho countries represented_ at tho gathering. After Mr Hughes (American Secretary of . State) announced America’s programme for the reduction of naval armaments, and Mr Balfour (chief o’t the British delegation) a few days later accepted the plan for Great Britain, and Admiral Koto (chief of the Japanese dele-, gation) also endorsed it in principle, varying rumours began to circulate. These chiefly concerned Japan, and . the most thoroughly substantiated one was to the effect that Viscount would ask for a 10 per cent, increase m the number of war vessels allotted to' Japan* under the pro* gramme. The journalists in Washington roosted to this report in varying degrees. I) was remarkable to note, however, that the Japanese newspaper men were moat ontepoken in their condemnation of their country’s attitude. Next to the. United Japan had more newspaper men reporting the activities of the conference than any other nation. There were over 40 such representatives. The Asahi Shimbun alone had five writers, while every newspaper of any importance had at least one pressman. Among these were leading publicists, statesmen, and men of letters. They represented the best brains of their country, and included such outstanding figures es Mr Komatsu, formerly ol the Japanese Foreignj Office, and Mr Shinoimuxa, onetime Secretary-general of Formosa. A considerable number of these men did not like what Japan was doing, > and immediately called a meeting, at which it was decided to prepare a round robin for submission to .Admiral Kato, urging that Japan should subscribe to tho American plan of y naval armament limitation without proposing any amendments. A date was set for a mass meeting later, at which the proposed document was to be offered to the entire body of Japanese pressmen for adoption.^ ' Then Admiral Kato heard about it,, and acted promptly. Ho at once .summoned the Japanese correspondents to oppear at_ his quarters. • No other reporters were invited. The Admiral addressed a few remarks, exclusively in Japanese, to these, his countrymen of the press, The exact nature of his observations is not known, the version supplied being of necessity second-hand. There is no little authority for fhe report, however) that he told them . with quite the adequate degree of emphasis , mat the Japanese Govemfnent, and not tho correspondents, would' determine the Japanese attitude would be toward the naval proposals, and apparently succeeded in convincing his'listeners that baldly pleasant things would occur if any action such as they proposed was taken. Needless to say, no mass meeting of Japanese pressmen took place, and no round robin saw the light of day. WOMEN’S PART.

Women played no small part in and about ths conference. As soon as President Harding’s intention to call such a gathering became known, -a group of American women formed the National Council for Limitation of Armament They addressed themselves to the President and Mr Hughes, asking for clarifying information as to America’s attitude. It must hie confessed that their actions for a time threatened to interfere with the work that the. Chief Executive and the Secretary of State were dojng. Some of them asked impossible questions, while others made some impossible demands, such as that the United States should "scrap” its entire fleet, or threaten, those of the Allies who owe America, money with divers forma of “foreclosure” if they did not fall in, with ideas, of ' radical disarmament. On pie whole, however, their work, in organising public opinion was beneficial. President Harding recognised the! important pari that women . play in American notional life fay designating four of them to membership in the Advisory ■ Committee to tlu» American Delegation. . These, under the ktedership of Mrs Eleanor Franklin Eagan, writer and publicist, did valuable work in keeping the public informed on what svas going on in Washington- A number of Japanese women, under the leadership of Mrs Kaji Yajimi, 80 years old, and several English women, notably Mrs, Amelia E. M'Cudden, British. “ war mother,** who laid a wreath in the tomb at American's unknown soldier, and Miss Kate Manicoru, a representative of the istomational Federation of Working Women, also took an active part in the informal activities of their sex in connection with the Armament Conference. Mias Manioomfa mission was specially interesting. She came to Washington, according to her explantation, to ‘bring a prayer to President Harding that war may cease, to spare men’s lives and Women’s happiness.” Mias Manicotti had also represented her organisation at the meeting in Geneva, last summer, of the International Council of Women- In explaining her attitude toward the Washington Conference, she_ said: “In England we ore. constantly reminded that there are over .Wo million more women than men. What is to become of'ns? Work? Only a fraction of os are trained to do specialised, highly paid work., The others must toil in factories, . take oaio of. other women’s children, drudge in other women's homes. And. it is hideous. We want husbands and homes of our own., Why do not the ere attars of war consider our value as women, our rights ’as mothers of men, makers of homes? Will not the great minds at this historical conference hear us and heed us The solution, of our problem? There is only work. I pray that some of the vast sums saved by disarmament may go to educate girls to cam good livings. . . . The problem of the gin of the next generation, however, will bo eolved if war is abolished. I beg oil women to join us in working for this end. “ Tho mothers have their pride in their, memories. The wives at least had their happiness, and perhaps they have babies 10 love. But w© nave nothing, no place at aIL War, wo resolved in Geneva, must be no more. . . . In tho name 'of the women whose Uvea are bereft of their highest fulfillment, I beg your President to . urge disarmament—-to get • together all the peoples of the earth’and organise, a world court which shall abolish war through arbitration.” Women were drawn to the conference from all over the world as if by a magnet. The Grace Dodge Memorial Hotel, a newly erected adjunct of* the Young Women’s Christian Association in Washington, was headquarters for all members of the sex who came from abroad to bo near tho conference. This hotel, exclusively devoted to tho use of women, is the largest hostelry of its kind in the. world I had the opportunity of conversing with some of the directing heads of the institution. They,informed, me that their bookings showed that during the conference period they were to have as guests women representatives of all tho larger nations. These ladies upon their arrival at the capital set up a liaison with the American women through such organisations as the National Council for Limitation of Armament and the National League of Women Voters. Thev called upon the women members of the Advisory Committee to the American delegation, circularis . the delegates, were in considerable number introduced to President Harding, to whom the bore petitions from women of their own country, and then settled down to the business of observing the work of the conference. From lime to time they issued statements to .the press or were interviewed. On the whole, they showed that the female’ part of the world was keenly conscious of its duty to understand and influence what was going on at Washington. MARSHAL FOOT ON THE MOVE. Although the official list of delegations shows that Marshal Foch, Commandcr-in-Chict of the Allied Armies, is a French delegate to tho conference, it at first appears surprising to learn that, 1 although in America many weeks —he arrived on October 2fi—-he spent barely two days of all this period in Washington. The chief adviser on military affairs i the conference appeared to shun the gathering. Instead .A dealing put concise and indispensable facta and opinions concerning land armaments to eager confreres, ho has beou making a triumphal tour through the breadth and ’ length of America. The remarkable demonstrations by tho citizens of three countries when 'Dr Wilson first

bum to Europe were put. in the shade by .the millions who applauded and cheered the Allied Generalissimo as he moved from community to. community ‘in this country. New York lived through another November 8, 1918 (the “false” Armistice Day), when the marshal landed here. The entire city declared a holiday, and attempted to crowd about his automobile —at ell events, so it seemed to one who saw the dense and enthusiastic hordes that filled the streets, frdm the dock where his ship made fast to the home of his host. En route to Kansas City, in the Middle West, where ho addressed the American Legion Convention of former, service men, the inhabitants , of hamlets and cities alike surrounded his train wherever it stopped all clamouring to get a view of the marshal or shako 7iis hand. The same thing occurred on his way back east, and recurred as he travelled to the Pacific Coast. Enthusiasm was' everywhere deep and f Hembraoing, the entertainments and _ receptions numerous and gravely fatiguing. Thrice his physician forced him to rest and recover his strength. Although unusually hearty for a man of more than 70. the number of engagements he undertook proved nearly too much for him. Too many dinners and luncheons were a tax on his stomach, while hie right hand was badly swollen from ijoo many hand-shakes. He laid hundreds of wreaths on various tombs of American heroes, and on the pedestals of the Statues of French heroes and heroines; he laid dozens of corner-stones of projected public buildings, planted hundreds of memorial trees, addressed scores and scores of gatherings, participated in a multi-

tude of Roman Catholic aerrioeo, received some 20 honorary degrees from American universities, was taken into the tribes of various bands of Western Indians, and gave audiences to countless visitors. I saw him speed up in his automobile, quickly lay a wreath at the foot of the bronze Joan of Aro in Now York, throw a spadeful of earth about a newly-rooted young oak, receive several ■ armfuls of flowers from children, pose for a large group ■of eager photographers, and rush away to keep another engagement—all within tne space of 10 minutes. This has been the pace he set nearly every day since his arrival. His present plans do not include an extended stay at Washington. He may speed in at the rate of 50 miles an hour.in.his special train for a brief visit with ithe French delegation upon his return from the West. Ho is also booked for a three days’ sojourn in Canada. It is expected that shortly after that he will sail home for a much-needed and justlyearned rest.