The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1917-10-12
COL. HOUSE HAS
EXALTED MISSION
Directed by President to Collect
Material to Be Used at
Peace Conference.
WARS END NOT IN SIGHT
United States to Be Equipped With
Full Information on All Matters
That Are Vital to
Its Interests.

y New York.-President Wilson, being
, fully advised of the fact that the Eu
ropean governments have for nearly
, three years been gathering and collect
ing data, which would be indispensi
!, Bile at the now unknowable but yet in
, evitable date, when the warning ma
lions meet to settle peace terms, has
asked Col. e. M. House, his intimate
friend and unofficial counselor, to as
sumo this complex and gigantic task
Colonel House has accepted the un'
dertaking, and with characteristic
promptitude and thoroughness has al
ready made groundwork plans for as
sembling all pertinent information, his
tOrical, geographical, and chronological.
His initial move was the selection as
his chief lieutenant of DIR. John III. Fin
ley, New York state commissioner of
Europe, where he made an eXhaus-
tive study of conditions.
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 a personal point of view
will be permitted to participate in a
work where open-mindedness is a pre-
requisite to the arrival at conclusions
that will enable the government to de-
ternine upon correct policy.
Prejudice to Be Barred.
Emphasis is put upon the unalter
able determination that neither pro-
fessional pacifists 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
1t 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-
cry of such propaganda. The truth is
that this effort on the part of the
United States to analyze war cOndi-
lions and evolve plan of procedure
when hostilitits end is a belated one,
just as our military preparations
Jagged for period But now it is
''full steam ahead and dam the tor
pedoes" with our army and navy with
not thought of let-up in mind. so
from now on there will be urgent
prosecution of search for material, his
torical and informative, concerning the
world war. This quest of data will
keep pace with an energetic prosecu-
ton of the contest, but will not halt it
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 be willing to enter into ne
gotiations. He will remain in the Unit |
ed States. 1t 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 a diplomatic capacity, for
NAL or informal. He will have no title
and will receive no salary.
The appointment of Colonel House
affords another illustration of the ex-
banding position of the United States
in world affairs. Heretofore the state
department has been equipped with
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 a field of
international activity which it has sell
dom entered before.
Information Must Be Ready.
The questions which will come be-
ioi TIC ptflCt COuleTcDct dl lHt emu
Of the war will be m ititudinous 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 to
be considered, and the information
upon which conclusions may be based
and policies decided must be at hand.
1t will be Colonel Houses function to
gather corps of experts to get this
material In form for use. Others. how
everA will prepare the brief.
WIFI exclusive European problems.
t is not expected that the representa-
ives of\the United States at the peace
council will be concerned. But In the
OF general questions, relat-
ng to economic intercourse and po-
itical development which will affect
virtually all the nations Of the world,
he United States will have potent J