The Sentinel=record., 1917-04-24

after three-quarters of an hours con. versation with President Wilson. re. marked enthusiastically that his trip | had been justified by that meeting al-ne. All day members cf the comm siou | exclaimed over the warmth of tho welcome, especially on their arrival | yesterday. As if to make il more per feet, Washington just at this time is | blossoming into the full riChnes, of | it's spring dress
 While no formal negotiations were entered into today, the preliminary conferences on all hands were stated i not to have been wholly perfunctory but rather to have laid an excellent basis of acquaintance and under standing for the detailed conferences to follow.
 President Wilson and Mir Balfour | are known to have touched on the 1 broad phases Of the situation in such | a way as to give each an insight into | the others personality and viewpoint and to have established an atmo. l sphere of confidence and concord be 1 tween them
 The official prediction was made l that no formal conference would be- | gin until the arrival of the French l commissioners, expected in the next few days Ground work will be laid | a a ro,idl,5 os rnggthIa on tho. tho ,,,o meut the French arrive negotiations may begin in earnest The British visitors held an organization meeting at the embassy today, and Mir Bal four plans 10 spend tomorrow morn ing mapping out the division of work and arranging for the proper British and American officials to meet fir the | tasks before them Another score of | subordinate British officials are ex. pected shortly on a merchant vessel l
 The British commission announced that it's purpose in coming 10 this | country was purely enc of co opera 1 ton, service and gratitude, and that | from now on the direction of the con ferences would rest largely with the American government
 Mr Balfour, 1t was stated will 1 make several public statements dur 1 ing his stay as 10 the English point of | view, and will attempt to rem ve any m sconc options he may find existing Vice President Marshall invited him to address the senate, but it is i'm. probable he will appear before con sress unless, perhaps, With French Minister of Justice Nivianl Arrange ments are being made for him to see members of the press Wednesday General Bridges will be interviewed i tomorrow and Lord Cunliffe on Thurs
 day.
 Tonight's dinner at the white hcuss
 was the climax of an pventful day. MT Balfour. British Ambassador Spring Rice and all the ranking mem bers of the British commission were invited 10 meet the president and Mrs. Wilson, the members cf the cabi. net Chief Justice White the advisory | committee of the Council of National lEeiense Secretary Tumulty and Miss
 Helen Woodrow Bones, cousin of the president At the same time other members of the commission were be. | ing entertained at dinner at the man sicn occupied by Mir Balfour's lmme- diate party. The British cabinet officer began
 the day with a trip 10 the state de.
 partment, which. because of his long
 association with foreign affairs and with American statesmen he had al. ways been eager to see. Ambassador SpringRice and Hugh S Gibson, the
 latter assigned as Mr Balfours aide, l l accompanied him to the door of Sec
 retary Iansing's office. When the visitor came out later with NIT. Ians. ing for his trip to the white house he
 was greeted in the corridor with ap- plause by a large gathering of state department employees Mir Balfour was ushered into the | white house by Secretary Lansing and introduced to President Wilson in the 1 presence of the military and naval | aides, for what was expected tp be but few minutes conversation. Tine , statesmen withdrew into the blue room. however ana were engros ed for ever three-quarters of an hour. A large crowd surrounded the | white house lawns to wait for the | vlsitor. In the meantime a wild west l show passed with huge collope | playing "God Save the King" and the | "Marseillaise" As Mir. Balfour came | out the gates a great cheer broke out | and he bowed appreeiatively.
 A quick trip by autom bile took aim to the capitol. where another en.
 thusiastic group greeted him on his | way to Vice President Marshalls 1 office. There he spent about ten
 minutes.
 After luncheon at the French em- | l,ogc,, poIFa,r ratnrnad aOof,, tc