The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1917-10-12
COL. HOUSE WILSON AID IN PREPARING
FOR INEVITABLE PEACE CONFERENCE
Presidents Unofficial Counselor Undertakes Unusual Task at Re-
quest Of Chief ExecuNe-NOt Sign That Government
Expects Early End Of War;

New York.-Col. E. NJ. House. int
mate friend and counselor of Preslden
Wilson, has assumed an unusual an
complex task In accepting the commits
sion Of the president to gather infOr
nation which will be greatly neede'
by the United States gOvernmen
when II enters the peace .cOnferenc
which will end the present great war
President Wilson, In making this move
was cognlZant of the fact that 70
nearly three years the European gov
ernments have been making simlla
preparations for the inevitable peac,
conference.
Colonel House already has begun Il
carry out the wishes of the president
AS his chief assistant In the work HI
has selected DR.. John II. Finley, New
York state commissioner OF education
who recently returned to this country
from Europe after making an exten
sive investigation of conditions In sew
eral countries.
The selection of Doctor Finley is In
dlcative of the sort Of experts with
whom Colonel House will confer. Nc
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 n-mindedness is pre-
requisite to the arrival at conclusions
that will enable the government to de-
termlne upon a correct policy.
Emphasis is put upon the unalter-
able determination that peither 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 taint of bias.
In an interview Colonel House made
II 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
tions and evolve plan Of procedure
when hostilities end Is a belated one,
just as our military preparations
Jagged for a period. But now 1t is
"full steam ahead and damn the tor
pedOes" with our army and navy with
not a 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-
tion of the contest, but will not halt 1t
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
nent nor in a diplomatic capacity, for
nal or informal. He will have no title
md will receive no salary.
The appointment of Colonel House
affords another illustration of the ex-
banding position of the United States
n world affairs. Heretofore the state
department has been equipped with
all the information that was
necessary to the solution of interna-
ional problems in which the United |
States has taken a direct interest. The
var has brought new problems and
projected this country into a field of
activity which it has sell
lom entered before.
The questions which will come be-
ore the peace conference at the end
# the war will be multitudinOus. The
reedom of the seas, the naturalization
# seaways, the political hOmeOgeneity
f peoples who claim the right of self
government and the disposition of ter
itorial possessions involving economic,
historical and political questions, will
e some of the many subjects to
e considered, and the information
pom which conclusions may be based
nd policies decided must be at hand
With exclusive European problems,
is not expected that the representa-
ives of the United States at the peace
ouncil will be concerned. But in the
isposition of general questions, relat-
ng to economic intercourse and po-
tical development which will affect
all the nations Of the world,
be United States will have potent