Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-12-23
Concludes Means
of Feeding Is
Uppermost
DEPENDINGON
HOOVER'S AID
Makes Plain Yanks
Do Not Desire
Full Glory
By associated Press

Paris. Dec. e3.-President Wilson
conferences to-day and tomorrow
will virtually complete the prelimi-
naries he is expected to dispose of be-
fore going to England. They prob
ably will lay the principal part Of the
groundwork for the actual peace con-
ference.
Mr.. Wilson considers the most
pressing of all problems before the
Entente nations in a fair way toward
being solved-the question of sup
plying food to the starving peoples Of
liberated countries. 1t now seems
probabIe that the work will be han
dled principally by the United States,
through Herbert {. Hoover, American
food administrator.
1t has been made plain to the En-
tente nations that the United States
has no wish to claim entire credit for
the work Of relief in the minds Of the
people who are to be fed, and a sat
.sfactory understanding appears 10 he
in sight. Mr.. Hoover will confer with
the President again to-day.
shipping Holds Attention
Participation by the United States
in various councils that have been
handling food questions, matters of
shipping and the like is being grad
ually wound up. as American officials
are trendIng toward the opinion that
these are proper subjects for the con-
sideration of a league of nations, or,
at least of preliminary organizations
which may precede it.
Some of those who have been Civ
ing the subject close study and have
been following the conferences with
Entente representatives say they
would not be surprised If tie real
foundation of a league of nations were
to be laid in cooperative arrange
II ents between the United States and
the Allies for handling those funda-
mental questions.
Address Attracts Attention
Mr.. Wilson's address at the Sor-
bonne on Saturday, in which he again
defined his conception OF league OF
nations, attracted closest attention
from all public men here. This is es-
pecially true of his statement that
the war could never have occurred if
the Central Powers had discussed il
for a fortnight. and certainly not if
they had been forced TO talk matters
over for more than a year.
The Presidents address had re-
called that the United States. while
William J. Bryan was Secretary Of
state. negotiated a dozen arbitration
treaties. one of them with Great Brit
ain. These treaties bound their aig-
natories to discuss their controversial
for at least year before proceeding
TO a declaration of war.
Huns Refuse Bryan Plan
An attempt was made to negotiate
such a treaty with Germany, but The
Berlin government refused to enter
tain It. 1t is also recalled the same
idea was once expressed in a plan for
preserving peace put forward by a
group headed by Niscount James
Bryce. former British Ambassador TO
the United States.
There is no official authority for the
statement that Mr.. Wilson is thinking
Of the Bryan plan as one of the ele-
ments in the proposed machinery for
preserving world peace. but his refer
ence to the plan i'm his Sorbonne
speech has set men to talking.
Conferences satisfactory
No announcement has oeen made rs
to how far the conferences between
Mr.. Wilson. Premier Clemenceau,
Premier Orlando and Foreign Minis
ter Sonnino have gone, but French
public men have declared that their
Premier's talks with the President
We're entirely satisfactory. 1t is also
believed that Mr.. Wilson has made
substantial progress in his confer
ences with Italian statesmen.