SectionOne
Pages 1 to 20
90 Pages
Eight Sections
VOL. XLI XO. 8
Entered at Portland 'Oregtnt
Postoffice as Sfcond-cIa5s Matter.
PORTLAND, OREGON, SUNDAY MORNING, FEBRUARY 19, 1922
rillCE FIVE CENTS
STATE FILES SUIT
7 THEATERS CLOSED
IN WASHINGTON, D. C.
KNICKERBOCKER .TRAGEDY IS
CAUSE OF ACTION.
0
HOPES. ARE RENEWED
IN DRIVE FOR CHEST
ENGAGED DAUGHTER
WORRIESMcCORMICKS
LANQIS TO LEAVE
PANAMA CANAL GUNS
DELAY OF GENOA
ARE FAR OUT OF DATE
S
BYOWN DEPRAVITY
RECAXVASS OP PHYSICIAN'S
WILD BEGIN AT ONCE.
FAMILY TO DISCUSS DECISION
OF 16-YEAR-ODD GIRL. .
MODERN WARSHIPS ARE ABLE
SAFELY TO BOMBARD ZOXE.
BOSTON
ISMAYED
0 H SWAMP LAND
BENCH
MARCH
ASSURED
39,451 Acres Involved
. in Litigation. .
OWNERS' TITLE IS ATTACKED
Tracts Obtained Illegally, Is
Contention.
$4,000,000 IS AT STAKE
Reversion of Grants to Common
wealth Demanded in Complaint
of Attorney - General.
SALEM, Or., Feb. IS. (Special.)
Pour suits looking toward the recov
ery by the state of approximately
39,451 acres . of so-called swamp
lands valued in excess of $4,000,000
were filed in the circuit court for
Lake county today by the attorney
general. A fifth suit, ,olving lands
of similar character and the same
legal questions as are set out In the
four preceding actions, will be filed
In the Lake county courts Monday, it
was announced -at the attorney-general's
office tonight.
Three of the suits are directed at
the .Chewaucan Land &- Cattle com
pany, a California corporation with
headquarters in San Francisco. These
suits involve a total of 21,078 acres
of swamp lands in what are known
as the Pauline marsh and Sycan
marsh land In Lake county.
In the first suit against the Che
waucan Land & Cattle company, there
is involved an aggregate 9558 acres,
approximately 5177 'acres of which is
located in Pauline marsh. The re
maining 4381 acres of the land at Is
sue Is included in the Sycan marsh.
Omen Sale Attacked.
This suit Is based on a certificate
of sale to H. C. Owen, with deeds is
sued -by the state board of land com
missioners to James M. -Allen. These
deeds were dated September 28, 1886.
The second suit against the Che
waucan Land & Cattle company was
based on a certificate - of . -sale to
George H. Small, with deeds Issued
by state board of land commissioners
to James M. Allen. These deeds also
were dated September 28, 1886. The
lands Involved in this suit are in
Sycan marsh and include approxi
mately 2373 acres.
The third suit, in which the Che
waucan Land & Cattle company Is
named as defendant, vaa based on
tyo certificates of saler one of which
was issued to James D. Fay and the
other to A. N. King. The deed con
veying to Mr. Fay 19,155 acres was
dated July 13, 1883, while the 'deed
transferring to Mr. King 1922 acres
was dated November 1, 1882. These
lands are located in Chewaucan
marsh.
Fourth Suit Filed.
The fourth suit was directed against
the Lake County Land & Livestock
company and Involves approximately
6340 acres of swamp land in Warner
valley, Lake county. This suit was
based on a certificate of sale to H. C.
Owen, with deeds issued by the state)
board of land commisioners to Jerome
C. Wilson and J. A. Wilson. These
deeds were dated December 28 1894.
The attorney-general, in all four
Df the suits, alleged that under the
law of 1870 there was no limit to
the acreage of swamp land sales in
case the purchasers had paid to the
state 20 per cent of the price set on
the lands. 1 , '
This law was amended in 1878, ac
cording to the attorney-general, to
the extent that the sales of these
lands were limited to 320 aqres to any
one person except in Instances where
pending applications had complied
with the act prior to its amendment.
The attorney-general alleged that
the lands involved in the four suits at
issue were obtained subsequent to the
passage of the law of 1878. and as the
result te state board of land com
(Concluded on PaKei lO. JZolumn 2.)
Board of 5 Engineers Condemns
Buildings After Making
Careful Inspection.
WASHINGTON'. D. C. Feb. 18.
Seven theaters, Including the New
National and Poll's, two of the prin
cipal playhouses in the national capi
tal, were ordered closed tonight by
the board of commissioners, govern
ing body of District of Columbia.
The order was issued after an In
spection tf playhouses in. the district
had been completed by a board of five
engineers. The inspection grew out
of the recent collapse of the Knicker
bocker theater, which cost the lives
of 98 persons.
Other theaters closed were the Met
ropolitan, Columbia, Maryland and
Foraker, motion-picture houses, and
the Cosmos, vaudeville and motion
pictures. The Metropolitan and the
Columbia are two of the larger down
town theaters. The former is owned
by the Crandall company, which also
owned the Knickerbocker.
The. report of the engineers on
which the order was issued was not
made public, but members said that
"in most cases" structural weakness
and inadequate fire protection had
been disclosed by their investigation.
In issuing the order tonight, com
missioners did not communicate the
details of the weaknesses to the the
ater owners, but it was explained
that these would be given them soon,
so that they could take action. Some
commissioners estimated it would be
several months, possibly midsummer,
before some of the theaters could
reopem-
' In one case, it was added, an en
tiro new roof would have to be con
structed, while' in other cases bal
conies would have to be strength
ened. In another case, it was said,
the space under a stage had been
found filled with loose papers, greatly
increasing the fire hazard.
Colonel Charles Keller, the engi
neer commissioner, representing the
war department on the district gov
erning board, said that about ten
other theaters were being examined.
The action of the district commis
sioners, it was pointed out, was in
line with a recommendation of the
coroner's jury in its findings on the
Knickerbocker theater disaster.
brought in early this week, and- rec
ommending that the entire building
code of the district be revised and
that "theaters and public places" be
closed until their safety was assured.
Before issuing its closing order the
commissioners drafted and adopted a
new" building regulation authorizing
the closing of such places where ex
amination had disclosed structural
weaknesses or inadequate fire pro
tection. SCHOOL DANCE ASSAILED
University Official Says Students
Have Become Licentious.
MADISON, Wis., Feb. 18. "Licen
tiousness and Iuxuriousness" have
come into the schools of the nation
through student dances, which must
be curbed if there is to- be a solution
of the moral problem of the country,
Dr. Jay William Hudson of the Uni
versity of Missouri declared today in
addressing a teachers' association
meeting.
"We have come upon a reign of
moral looseness and debauchery," yr.
Hudson said. "Students dance as peo
ple were not allowed to dance in the
worst resorts 20 years ago. There is
a heathenish trend."
HARDING WOULD SEE FETE
President Hopes to Attend Festival
in Portland.
THE OREGONIAN NEWS BUREAU,
Washington, D. C, Feb. 18. Presi
dent Harding told Senator McNary to
day that he hoped either to attend
the Rose Festival at Portland or ap
point a representative.
The special invitation extended by
Senator McNary came from H. K.
Whitney, director' of the Whitney
boys' chorus, who urged the president
to visit Portland at that time and
hear a chorus of 2000 boys which Mr.
Whitney proposed to increase to 20,000
voices, representing every state in the
union, as a. feature of the Portland
exposition in 1925.
Labyrinth of Corruption
Revealed in Probe..
BLACKMAIL TOTALS MILLIONS
District Attorneys of Two
Counties Involved.
POLICE COME OUT CLEAR
Higher Officials, However, Use
Women of Underworld to En
snare Wealthy Men.
BY EDMUND HART.
(Copyright, 1922, by The Oregonian.)
BOSTON, Feb. 18. (Special.) In
the days when the muckraker'thrived,
picturing the moral and political deg
radation of other great American
cities, Boston leaned back complac
ently and thanked the good Lord that
she was not a?' others were. But
times have changed and now reformed
New York, Chicago, Philadelphia and
San Francisco may point the finger of
scorn at the Hub of the Universe,
writhing in its own shame and cor
ruption. Boston's condition today is, pitiable
Her troubles are not alone political
and financial. It has been recently
brought to light that a coterie of un
principled lawyers, working in collu
sion with the district attorneys of the
surrounding counties of Suffolk and
Middlesex the former, a democrat and
the latter a republican have for
years carried on a system of black
mail on a scale hardly believable,
cleaning up a million from the dupes.
Underworld Women Hired.
The "plunderDund" employed at
tractive women pf the underw'orld to
ensnare wealthy men. They also had
on their staff "injured" husbands and
fake detectives, ready to appear in
sensational raids, planned and timed
by the gang, wnen evidence was man
ufactured to be used in threatened
suits. Most of their Victims aettfeu
rather than face shame of publicity,
tor amounts ranging from 10,U0U to
J1O0.U0U.
If the man or the woman in the
case relused to "come across" they
were tnreatened with indictment ana
a public trial, me leaders or me
crowd stood in witn tne prosecuting
officials and they seemed to be aule
to use the district attorney and the.
great power of his office to force pay
ment of huge counsel fees, which the
evildoers divided. The Boston police
have come' out of the dirty mess with
clean bands, but at least one high po.
lice otficial of Cambridge was impli
cated and has been dismissed from the
force.
Law Violators Also Bled.
Automobile thieves, highwaymen,
plunderers of widows and orphans.
defaulters, fake stock promoters of
the Ponzi type, including Ponzi him
self, who mulcted the public to tne
tune of millions in a few months, were
allowed to go free, provided they eet
tied with the "plunderbund." In some
instances, it was brought out in the
trials of the district attorneys, trans
gressors were steered up against the
gang and "shaken down" for thou
sands of their ill-gotten gains.
Two years ago there was a lively
contest for the republican nomination
for attorney-general of Massachusetts
The "plunderbund" was active against
the nomination of the successful can
didate, John Weston Allen of Newton,
a Yale graduate who had worked his
way through college.
Mr. Allen was not long in office be
fore he began to move on the gang
His first bombshell, which hit the cen
ter of their' camp, was the appoint
ment of Henry F. Hurlbut, a promt
nent democrat and one of the leading
lawyers of Boston, as a special deputy
to investigate why automobile thieves
(Co ncluded on Ptttfe 3, Column 1. )
All Occupational Groups to Be
Combed This Week; In Hope of
Raising Full Quota.
Hope of raising the full quota of
the community chest $798,777 was
renewed at headquarters yesterday
because of the vigorous manner in
which the doctors' committee. Dr.
Alan Welch Smith chairman, is set
ting about its work of recanvassing
that professional group.
"All the committee wants." said
Dr. Smith to General Robert E. Smith
yesterday, "is complete information
and instructions, and we will do the
rest. You can go away and forget it,
so far as we are concerned. Give
your time to other phases of the
chest campaign, but we- will canvass
our own group. I will include in my
committee work just the regular allo
pathic and homeopathic physicians of
the city, and we can assure you of
results."
"If other groups of the city will do
equally as well as the doctors," said
General Smitn, "there will be no
question about raising our budget.
'The doctors, too, have explained
that we have not realized, perhaps,
the setback the campaign received in
its earlier stages because of the pre
vailing sickness. Grippe and colds
attacked both workers and prospects,
with very 'bad effects upon the drive.
We hope the peak of this condition
has passed."
Many physicians of the city have
told Dr. Smith that they were out of
(Concluded on Page 10. Column 2.)
INDEX OF TODAY'S NEWS
Tme Weather.
YESTERDAY'S Maximum temperature, 48
degrees; minimum, 39 degrees.
TODAY'S Rain; southerly winds.
Departments.
Churches. Section 5, page 2. -
Books. Section . 5, page 3.
Schools. Section 5, page 6. 1
Automobiles. Section 6.
Editorial, Section 3, page 8.
Dramatic. Section 4, page 6.
Moving picture news. Section 4, page 1.
Real estate and building news. Section 4,
page 10. .
Music. Section 4, page ft
Flowers for home and garden. Section 4,
page . .
Chess and checkers. Section 3, page 11.
Women's Features.
Fa'shlons. Section 5, page 4.
Miss Tingle's column. Section 5, page 4.
Madame Rlchet's column. Section 5,
page 5.
Soclety. Section 3, page 1.
Women's activities. Section 3, page 30.
Auction bridge. Section 3, page 6.
Special Features.
The newest theory about laughing. Maga
zine section, page I. .
Last stronghold of slavery. Magazine sec
tion, page if.
Electric rays can cure ills. Magazine sec
tion, page 3. '
News of world, as seen by camera. Maga
zine section, page 4.
"Love-ln-a-Mlst Threads of Old Romance
and New," fiction feature. Magazine
section, page 5.-
How Vera Smith made her brother terror
of bantams. Magazine section, page 6.
A modern Little Lord Fauntleroy's tight
for millions. Magazine section, page 7.
Hill's cartoons, "Among L's Mortals." Mag
azine section, page 8.
Chicago Grand Opera company to be here
next month. Section 5, page 1.
Darling's cartoons on topics of the day.
Section 5, page 7.
Home arrangement and construction. Seer
tion 5, page 8. .
Toolcratt. Section 6, page 8.
Historic monitor Monterey to be junked.
Section 3, page 6. i
Beauty spots mark Portland industries.
Section 3, page 7. -Girl
scores high in eugenic .test. Section 3.
page 10.
Corn surplus causes problem. Section 3,
page 11.
Exiled Russian major-general opens res
taurant. Section 4, page 4.
University students learn life saving. Sec
tion 4, page 5. '
Bryan attacks Darwin theory. Section 4,
page 11.
Foreign.
Delay ot Genoa conference declared as
sured. Section 1. page 1.
Lloyd George government again faces
crisis. Section 1. page 6.
Strike is expected to tie up Germany. ' Sec
tion 1, page 6.
Frivolous people attend conferences. Sec
tion 1, page. 6.
Bolshevist peril menaces Genoa conference.
Section 1, page 5.
Clashes again occur in Belfast. Section 1,
page 4.
National.
Seven theaters closed in Washington, D. C.
Section 1, page 1. '
' Panama canal guns oow far out of date.
Section 1, page 1.
Washington's social calendar is full. Sec
tion 1, page 5.
Pdwer promised for Muscle Shoals school
district. Section l, page 4. -American
naval fleets afloat to be main
tained to. maximum treaty limitations.
Section 1, page 10.
PICTORIAL CHRONICLES OF THE
VMUO
Millionaire President of Harvester
Company Is to Consider Giv
' ing His Consent.
CHICAGO, Feb. 18. Miss Mathilde
McCormlck, 16-year-old daughter of
Harold F. McCormick, millionaire
president of the International Hair
v ester company, may jenow tomorrow
whether she is to have her father's
consent to' marry Max Oser, 48-year-old
proprietor of a Zurich, Switzer
land, riding academy.
Tonight an "armistice" -was in ef
fect between father and daughter.
Mr. McCormick came home from
New York this afternoon to talk mat
ters over with Miss Mathilde, but the
discussion, probably will be heltL at a
family council at Lake Forest tomor
row morning at the home of Mr. Mc- j
Cormick's mother.
"We haven't talked it over yet,"
Mr. McCormick said tonight, "in fact
we have agreed on a sort of armistice
for the present."
To reporters who boarded his train
in the suburbs, Mr. McCormick said:
"Anything I have to say, I will say
through my daughter, when the time
comes. I don't know how much au
thority fathers have nowadays in
these matters. Of course she has
sp'ent half her life In, Switzerland,
and they handle these things differ
ently over there."
He indicated Miss Mathilde's regard
for her riding master was not news
to the family, but the publicity had
(Concluded on Page 10, Column .)
National.
Senate and house face tariff row. Section
- 1, page 3.
Long discussion of arms treaties expected.
Section 1, page 2.
Several sales tax methods suggested to
finance bonus. Section 1, page 4.
Domestic.
Staid old Boston now In dirty mess. Sec
tion 1, page 1. .
McCormick family to discuss girls' plan to
wed. Section 1, page 1.
Judge Landis leaves bench March 1.' Sec
tion 1, page 1.
Convention votes for coal mine strike. Sec
tion 1, page 7.
Southern Pacific employes Involved in
widespread ticket plot. Section ' 1,
page 14.
Coal strike seems to menace country. Sec
tion 1, page 7.
Taft says courts are overwhelmed. Sec-
.. tion 1, page 7. '
Amherst professor. condemns college slack
ers and sports. Section 1, page 6.
Pacific Northwest,
Washington state safety act reduces acci-
r- dents. Section 1, page 8.
Oregon hay growers start, drive for lower
rates. Section 1, page 13.
Minions lopped off Washington state tax
- rolts. Section 1, page 9.
Record attendance forecast for Oregon Ag
ricultural college summer session. Sec
tion 1, page 8.
New Seattle club to aid republicans. Sec
tion 1, page 8.
Idaho republicans unite for victory. Sec
tion 1, page
Capitol building bids to be opened. Section
1, page .
Sta"te begins suit for swamp lands. . Section
1, page 1.
Sports.
Spring football practice at University of
canrorniastarts. Section 2, page 4.
Ball players mistaken for stranded opera
. troupe. Section 2, page 4.
Portland honors at Spokane bout up to
Multnomah club. Section 2, page 8.
First Oregon relay carnival to be one of
coast's premier events. Section 2,
page 1.
Ball players ask enormous checks. Sec
tion 2, page 2.
Commissioner Landis suspends Bill Ken
worthy of Seattle club from organized
. baseball. Section 2, page 1.
Swimming record broken 'n meet. Section
2, page 2.
Greb and Gibbons get in shape. Section
2, page 4.
Financial.
Bonus talk makes bond market quiet. Sec
tion 1, page 18.
Yakima valley wool growers feject ad
vances of Seattle to get shipments.
Section 1, page Id.
Commercial and Marine.
Orient, with small grain .crops, must im
port heavily. Section 1, page 1.
Chicago wheat higher on reduced Argen
tine estimate. Section 1, page 18.
Foreign Issues strongest features of bond
. market. Section 1, page 10.
Pacific coast imports shrink during 1921.
Section 1, page 17. ,
Portland and Vicinity.
Music merchants arrive in Portland. Sec
tion 1, page 14.
Hope of raising full quota for community
chest renewed, section 1, page 1.-
Politicai campaign in Oregon promises 'to
be far from tame. Section 1, page 12.
Upstate politics growing warmer. Sec
tion 1. page 12.
Buyers of lumber coming to Portland. Sec
tion 1, page 16.
Elks will stage fun carnival. Section 1,
page 16.
NEWS, BY CARTOONIST PERRY.
FVU. UWSttC.Sf
Judge Sends Resignation
to President Harding.
DUTIES ARE TOO STRENUOUS
Time, to Be Devoted to Job as
Head of Baseball.
DOCKET TO BE CLEARED
Night Sessions of Court to Be Held,
Retirement Delayed Because
ot Criticism.
CHICAGO, Feb. 18. Judge Kenesaw
Mountain Landis will end his 17 years
of service -on the federal bench on
March 1, to devote his entire time to
his duties as national commissioner
of baseball, he announced today, when
he forwarded his resignation to Presl
dent Harding.
For the last 15 months Judge Lan
dis has held both positions, drawing
50,000 a year from organized base
ball, less the $7500 salary he received'
as federal judge.
At the time he took up his duties
as baseball's dictator, he was offered
a contract for $50,000 a year, but in
sisted that as long as he remained
on the bench the amount of his sal
ary as judge, be deducted from the
botal paid him by baseball. The con
tract was for seven years.
Judge Pressed for Time.
"There are not enough hours in the1
dt.y for these activities," Judge Lan- I
dis declared in announcing his resig
nation. "There isn't time enough to
do everything. I've worked hard. I've
been getting up at 5 o'clock in the
morning and have had to go without
lunch for two weeks."
Informed that it had been rumored
that he had been advised by his physi
cian to go south for a rest, he
snapped out: "I will take no vacation.
I Will continue --tlu. Tat. I am na
going south."
He added that he would hold night
sessions of his court to clear his
docket before his resignation takes
effect. . ..
Criticism Delays Resignation.
According to ' his friends. Judge
Landis intended to resign the judge
ship shortly after he accepted the
post as dictator of organized base
ball, but delayed because of criti
cism of his actiofi. At that tirrffe he
was quoted as saying that he would
not resign under Are.
Senator Dial had attacked the
judge because of the latter's state
ment that bank officials sometimes
were responsible for "robberies by
boys because they did not pay ade
quate salaries. Senator. Dial and
Representative Welty of Ohio later
brought impeachment proceedings
against the judge, the representative
basing his case on the fact that two
jobs were held by the Juuge. Both
cases were dropped.
Comment Made on Low Pay.
Shortly before the Dalton robbery,
in which the loot was nearly $750,000
in liberty bonds, Judge Landis had
made some remarks about the low
salaries which he said were paid, to
bank clerks. This was in the case of
a young Ottawa, 111., bank clerk who
had attempted to steal $50,000 from
the bank where he worked.
When Judge Landis made .the re
marks he . was widely quoted by
newspapers throughout the country.
After tne uauon, roDoery some
newspapers quoted Dalton as saying
that he had committed his robbery
because he felt, through Judge Lan
rdis' remarks, that nothing would be
done to him. ' Dalton never said this
and later. In a signed statement, said
that he had never before heard of
Judge Landis" remarks. The story
had spread, however, and the Judge
(Concluded on Page 10, Column 1.)
Hostile Fleet Could Attack and
Stay Out of Range at Same
Time, Experts Declare. '
WASHINGTON, D. C, Feb. 18.
(By the Associated Press.) Gun3 In
existing defenses of the Panama
canal are 'outranged thousands of
yards; by the rifles of foreign war
ships now afloat. It is regarded by
the military experts as wholly pos
sible that a hostile fleet of modern
ships could lay off the Pacific en
trance forts, far out of range, and
pound the defenses to pieces at their
leisure without risk to themselves.
Joint army and navy maneuvers,
planned for this winter, but aban
doned because of necessary retrench
ment, was expected, it was learned to
day, to have demonstrated this weak
ness of the canal defenses in Btrik
ing fashion. ' i
Coasts on the Pacific side of the
big waterway were to have been the
object of attack by the combined fleet
as one phase of the war game. ' The
purpose was to test in simulated war
conditions the adequacy ol the de
fense and to obtain further data for
their modernization.
Under the ' naval limitation treaty
the maximum size of guns on existing
or future capital ships is to be
limited to a 16-inch weapon. It is
to be expected, many officials said,
that as replacement proceeds on the
treaty schedule, all capital ships will
come to be equipped with guns of
approximately that size and power,
The canal fortifications were planned
when even the British 15-inch naval
rifle was . in an experimental stage.
Since then both American and Japa
nese navies have gone to the 16-inch
Warships designed since the battle
of Jutland have received greatly in
creased gun elevations and conse
quently greater range. They deliver
what is in a restricted sense high
angle fire that always has been pe
culiarly effective against, fixed fort!
fications.
Army experts have taken this into
account in planning modernization of
the canal forts. Their answer is to
equip the forts with batteries equal
in power and range to the largest
gun that under the treaty can be
mounted afloat. With the. stationary
base from which to fire and the far
better means of range determination
and sighting which are available
ashore, they estimate that hostile
craft could be kept at arm's length
without difficulty. - i
. The situation was understood al
ready to have been presented' to con
gress. BOBBED HAIR BAN IS OFF
Boys' Club Disbands When Vice-
President Elopes.
PINE BLUFF, Ark.. Feb. 18. The
Boys' Progressive club, organized to
discourage youths from having deal
ings with bob-haired, short-skirted
girls, disbanded yesterday.
Lilburn Redding, its vice-president
eloped with Bessie McLellan, 18.
THE OREGONIAN INAUGU
RATES BUSINESS-NEWS
SERVICE OF HIGH
T
r
CLASS.
Beginning today, The Ore
gonian publishes the business
and financial news service of
the Philadelphia Ledger News
Bureau, recognized as the best
of its kind. Features of the
service include a daily Wall
street review from New York
by Monitor, a tri-weekly busi
ness letter by" Richard Spil
lane, a weekly cabled London
review of business conditions
by Francis T. Hirst and weekly
or semi-weekly reports from
local points oh conditions in
all the big industries of Amer
ica, Canada, the West Indies
and Hawaii. It is, altogether,
a business-news service par
excellence, and in Portland
only The Oregonian will
have it.
tt
'
Fall of Italian Cabinet
Causes Postponement.
NEAR EAST ALSO TO WAIT
Important Meeting of Foreign
Ministers Delayed.
FRANCE TAKES NO' STEPS
Dloyd George Is Declared to Want
Series or Gentlemen's Agreements-Over
Borders.
BT JOSEPH Vf. GREGG.
(Copyright by the New Tork World. Pub
lished by Arrangement.)
LONDON, Feb. 18. (Special ca
ble.) With the collapse of the Ital
ian government it Is pow a foregone
conclusion that the Genoa conference
will be postponed for at least a
month and, what is more, that the
all-important meeting of the foreign
ministers of Great Britain, France
and Italy to consider the urgent near
east question will have to be de
ferred. It was the desire of the British
government to have the Turkish
treaty problem taken up without de
lay. It appeared a week ago that
the meeting of ministers -would be
ararnged for a time when it would be
In progress during the Genoa parley.
France Takes No Steps.
Meanwhile a conference of allied
experts on the agenda of the Geona
conference is scheduled for next week,
but France has not yet made a move
to show whether or not she means
to send 'her experts to London.
On the contrary, Inspired attacks
are appearing in the French press,
which declare that the British gov
ernment has ignored the note from
Premier Poincare, which proposed a
three months' delay of the Genoa con
ference and asked that many details
of- the agenda be made clear.
In ihe highest quarters here, ft was
asserted again today that the British
government had no intention of an
swering Premier Poincare's note, and
it was added that the French govern
ment had been informed that the
whole thing was a matter for the ex
perts to consider.
As I have already pointed out, there
is a formidable difference in the Brit
ish and French position on the Genoa
conference. The French are playing
for delay, hoping that the conference
w ill not be held at all, while Premier
Lloyd George stands squarely for it,
believing that now is the time to try
to bring about European pacification
Agreements First Step.
The first step in his programme is
to procure a series of "gentlemen's
agreements" between different groups
of states on the inviolability of fron
tiers. For example. Lloyd Georg
would not only have Russia guarantee
the Polish frontier, but also have the
Poles guarantee the Russian frontier..
Th French have sought all along to
gain British adherence to a pact
which would simply guarantee the
Polish frontier against the Russians
One of the chief grievances of
France' concerning the Genoa confer
ence was that soviet Russia was
coming into it without giving a guar
antee beforehand that she would be
responsible for all the financial ob
ligations of the czarist regime. But
now the British suspect that France
is conducting gome underground
pourparlers with Russia which are
stimulated,, probably, by French in
dustrial magnates who fear that the
French policy toward Russia will
have isolated France when it comes
to obtain concessionary advantages
in Russia.
It is now clearly understood here
that America will probably not take
any active part In the Genoa confer
ence while the United States Senate
has under consideration the treaties
formulated at the arms conference.
(Concluded on Page 3. Column 2.)
WAY