Middletown transcript., 1917-10-13
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 Ali Matters
That Are Vital to
Its Interests.
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.
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
tcrical, geographical, and chronological!
His initial move was the selection as
his chief lieutenant of DR.. John H. Fin
ley, New York state commissioner of
education, who has just returned from
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 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 Il pre-
requisite to the arrival at conclusions
that will enable the government to de-
terlnine upon correct policy.
Prejudice to Be Barred
Emphasis is put upon the unaltcr
able determination that neither pro-
fessiOnal pacifists nor confirmed mill
tarsts can be in the slightest degree
useful in preparing statistics for gov
ernmental guidance, which must be
without taint of bias.
In an interview Colonel House made
it plain that his appointment dGcs not
indicate any thought of immediate
peace is now being entertained by tile
United States government He HgrpeS
@ith Lord Northcliffe in his message
delivered before the American Rank-
ArS' association in Atlantic City that
80, lFc al
>!inuld hc-1;i:e the trickcry and treach
'rr of such propaganda. The truth is
':it th> effort on the part of the
United St3+es to analyZe war condi-
i, rs ana evolve a plan of procedure
Ahen nuStilti,S s end is Il belatcd one.
list as oar military preparations
Jagged for Il period. But now it is
''ftiII steam ahead and dam the tor
;,ct.0C&" with our army and navy with
not 4 thought of let-up in mind, so
from now on there will be urgent
prosecution Of search for material, his
:1ricAl and informative. concerning the
world war. This quest of data will
keep pace with an energetic proSecu-
N any way. To pause now in any
phase of belligerent endeavor might
n3i,e the prospect of peace even more
rcmote han ii seems at present.
No Sign of Early Peace.
The government sees nothing what
.'vrr 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
belIigcrents or the central powers, or
possible terms upon the basis of which
they might be willing to enter into ne
eotiatinns. He will remain in the Unit
ed States. 1t is possible that the state
department will be able to afford him
aiI in the work he has undertaken
but he VIII not work with the depart
ment nor in diplomatic capacity, for
mai or Informal. He will have no title
and will receive no salary.
The appointment of Colonel House
ff10r1s another illustration of the ex-
banding 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-
.ional problems in which the United
States has taken 4 direct interest. The
var has brought new problems and
projected this country into q field of
International activity which it has sell
;sO,n entered hpfOre
Information Must Be Ready.
The questions which will come be-
fore the peace conference at the end
Of the war will be multitudinous. 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.
It will be Colonel Houses function to
gather a corps of experts to get this
material in form for use. Others, how
ever, will prepare the brief.
With exclusive European problems,
1t is not expected that the representa-
uves of the United States at the peace
council will be concerned. But in the
disposition of general questions, relat-
Ing to economic intercourse and DO
litical development which will affect
virtually all the nations Of the world,
the United States will have a potent
S~S~~~~~o~~.o~o-~--~~-~
Three Notable Physical Features.