Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1917-10-05
TO PREPARE FOR |
PEACE CONGRESS
Colonel House Undertakes I'm
usual Task at Request of
President Wilson.
DOES NOT AIM TO END WAR
Work is to Equip Government With
Data That Will Be important
When the Hostiiities Come
to a Close.

| New York.-COl. f.. NJ. House. who
was asked by President Wilson to I'M
dertake the task of preparing data for
the use of the United States when the
warning nations gather ABOUT the CON
ference table to discuss peace terms,
has entered actively upon the perform
| ance of his unusual duties His first
move was to 81 lect DR.. John III. Finley,
| commissioner Of education of the state
| OF New YoT' as his chief assistant.
Doctor Ff.Hey will bring to the work
| all the information which he gathered
on a recent trip to Europe, where he
| made an extensive study of conditions.
Emphasis is laid upon the fact that
the appointment of the presidents in
Innate friend and counselor TO this POI
Sltion is not indicative of any move for
peace at this time but is merely pre-
paratory to the peace conference
which must come inevitably at soA1e
time in the future.
The selection of Doctor Finley is in
| dicative of the sort of experts with
| whom Colonel House will confer. No
man or woman with a preconceived
| opinion which might tempt one to color
circumstances so as to prove the cor
rectness of personal point of view
will be permitted TO participate in a
work where Open-mindedneS is a pre-
requisite to the arrival at conclusions
shat will enable the government to de-
'ermine upon a correct policy,
Emphasis is nut upon the unalter-
! able determine ton that neither pro-
fessional pautistS nor confirmed mill
| tarists can be in the slightest degree
useful in preparing statistics for gov
ernmental guidance, which must be
| without faint of bias
| In an interview Colonel House made
| it plain that his appointment does not
| indicate any thought of immediate
peace is now being entertained by the
| United States government He agrees
| with Lord Northcliffe in his message
| delivered before the American Bank
ers' association in Atlantic City that
| peace seems far off and America
| should beware the trickery and treach-
| that this effort on the part of the
United States to analyze war condi-
tons and evolve plan of procedure
when hoStilitieS end is belated one,
| just as our military preparations
| Jagged for a period But now il is
full steam ahead and damn the tor
| pedoes" with our army and navy with
NJ ftf LOT In, ,.,fr
from now on there will be urgent
prosecution of search for material his
| tOrfcal and informative concerning the
world wal This quest of data will
| keep pace with an energetic prosecu-
tion of the contest. bur will not halt il
in any way. To pause now in any
phase of belligerent endeavor might
make the prospect of peace even more
remote than it seems at present.
No Sign of Early Peace.
The government sees nothing what
ever to indicate the early approach of
peace. nor will Colonel House have
anything to do with ascertaining the
| point of view of either the Entente
| belligerents or the central powers, or
| possible terms upon the basis of which
| they might he willing to enter into ne
| gotiations. He will remain in the Unit
ed States II is possible that the state
department will be able to afford him
aid in the work he has undertaken,
but he will not work with the depart
ment nor In diplomatic capacity for
NAL or informal. lie will have no title
and will receive no salary.
The appointment of Colonel House
| affords another illustration of the ex-
panding position of the United States
in world affairs. Heretofore the state
department has been equipped with
virtually all the information that was
necessary to the solution of interna-
| tional problems in which the United
| States has taken direct interest. The
war has brought new problems and
projected this country into field of
| international activity which II has sell
dom entered before.
The questions which will come be-
fore the peace conference ut the end
of the war will be inultitudinouS. The
freedom of the seas. the naturalization
of seaways. the political homeogeneity
of peoples who claim the right of self
government and the disposition Of ter
ritorial possessions involving economic.
historical and political questions, will
be some of the many subjects 10
be considered. and the information
upon which conclusions may be based
and policies decided must be at hand.
With exclusive European problems,