The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1917-05-15
BRITISH COMMISSIONERS SUR.
PRISE CAPITAL ~ FREEDOM
FROM RESERVE
HAVE AN INFORMATION MAN
Godfrey .. Butler kno~s American
Newspaper Methoda and Knows Juss
! What Nsws Properly Can q Given
, b the Public.
BY EDWARD D. CLARK.

problems are engaging the close atten.
ton Of the British commissioners.
Instantly following the arrival Of
the French delegation the commission.
ers Of both countries acting jointly
resolved themselves into subcommit.
tees, each to take up problem to solve
on its own account.
Even Washington officialdom Is sur
prised at the demeanor of the visitors
from Great Britain. Reserve, If not
coldness, was expected by men who
have had dealings with the British
foreign office. Civilians In Washington
held the usual American view con.
corning Englishmen generally. The
commissioners, from Mr.. Balfour down
to the last subsecretary, have aston.
ished Washington by their open.
mindedness, their open speech and
their open-heartedness.
Perhaps the most astonlshed men In
the capital constitute the corps of cor
respondents of the daily press. The
Englishmen brought along with them
what Americans know as press agent,
although he Is what some persons In
clined to be bit more dignlfedly
deferential might call an information
nan.
Plenty Of Information.
Our own publicity gentlemen con-
nected with the American state depart
ment and some of the other depart
ments Of government have suffered
somewhat with lockjaw from the day
of their appointment. The cold and
grim silence which one ordinarily con-
siders to he the prevailing condition in
the vicinity of officials of the British
foreign service has become speech and
plenty of 1t. The British officials WIS.,
iting here, unlike some officials who
live here, are willing that Americans
should know what they are about.
Some persons say that war has
made sympathetic all the people Of
Great Britain. Certain 1t Is that
great change has come over the spirit
of Bitain's oflicialdom since the early
days of the war. Its representatives
apparently have found that strength
which comes from letting the world
know the truth England has felt
from the beginning that in way its
people had the same appeal to make to
the world that the people of France
had, but through the early months Of
the war they showed that they did not
know how to make the appeal.
Ever since his arrival In Washing
ton on Sunday, Mr.. Balfour has
spoken frankly on every subject on
which he could speak while having
due regard to the wishes of the gov
eminent to which he Is an accredited
commissioner There has been GER
tain modesty about the expressions OF
the wishes of the visitors. They wish
to act on suggestions which come from
the United States and only to make
suggestions of their own II they find
that such are welcome.
In good many years of newspaper
work II never came to your correspond
ent to hear so full and frank a discus
sion of a mission which Is supposed to
be hedged In with an awesome Sc
crecy, as that which was engaged In by
Godfrey y. Butler Of the British for
eign office with Washington newspaper
correspondents within few hours
after the arrival of the commission In
Washington.
Mr.. Butler Knows What to Tell.
For two years Mr.. Butler has been
the medium of communication between
the foreign Office in London and the
American newspaper correspondents
on duty in that city. He has learned
American newspaper methods. He
knows news when he sees 1t and he
knows what news properly can be
given out and that which, with due re-
gard to the sensibillties of the Ameri-
can government, cannot be given out
Someone has said that probably the
American newspaper men In London
succeeded in training Mr.. Butler. For
my own part, l do not think he needed
any training. The British certainly
have learned the value of frankness in
their discussions of matters proper to
make public and also the value TO Il
country of the right kind Of publicity.
what has been written that the Brit
fish commissioners intend to make pub
lie the more vital results which have
been reached through their confer
ences with American officials. To do
that would be TO talk at time when
the American government would wish
TO remain silent, but 1t Is fact that
the Brltlshers seem to be willing to
go further in the matter of taking the
public into their confidence than the
Americans.
Americans, Frenchmen and English
men, divided into subcommittee with
the membership composed OF repre-
sentatives Of each nationality, are TO
discuss all high naval and military af-
fairs. The food problem and the ship
ping problem already, as the world
knows, have been presented for solu-
ton and In part solution has been
reached. No one can tell yet how
long these conferences are 10 last, but
49,, ain Loot until N haHnIta mpIpr.