The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1918-12-26
EXPLAINS ENGLISH
VIEW NPUBLICITY
At PEACE COUNCIL
Editor Asks Reports Through
out Meeting Of Accomplish
mentS, But Not Attendance
of Reporters at All Sessions

MANCHESTER. England, Dec. %
''when we speak Of eliminating secrecy,
we do not, Of course, NEAR that re-
porters should attend the peace Goa
ference, but that though the discus
sions are private, the results should
be published, and that not at the close
Of the negotiations, but throughout
them
This view was expressed by c, p.
Scott. editor OF the Manchester Guard
ian, in a ak with the Associated rtess
,a ,uon uI secrecy AT the peace
conference.
Naturally, there are drawbacks, '
continued the Guardians editor, 'pei-
cate matters, involving special national
interests and national pride, may In
some ways be more difficult Of adjust
ment when made the subject OF issue
controversy, but on the other hand the
only means Of bringing effective pres
sure to bear in the general interest
against particular interests rs by pub
licity,
Doubtless public discussion would
need TO be conducted with restraint
and under a sense Of responsibility. with
unbrukeu triendlIness. That would be
the duty OF the public every where, who
would then become IN a real sense par
ties 10 a negotiation In which the IN
terests of ali are I,,,.
the duty Of the ne"
d mis- matter, to assist Hut the
fundamental reason for breaking with
the old tradition Of secrecy arises out
OF the very conception aud the primary
object Of the conference
THE conference Is, mr. ~"
the coming together Of the nations Of
the world in the Common interest Of
the world and for the attainment Of
fkAaafu In nhiah oil uFR attfnlfy tDp-
cerned, As long as this motive and
object are dominant there Is no rcasun
for secrecy. Publicity is the rurest
means of keeping them dominant
"As the president a well said, the
international relation we now seek to
establish is the relation Of understand
ing and Of friendship We had better
begin as we intend to go on, Again,
though the primary object 81 the con-
ference Is to establish and maintain this
relation OF amity between tho nations,
there is no intention or possibility Of
overriding essential national rights, The
nation, rightly regarded and defined,
remains as the distinctive unit In the
new order even more definitely than In
the old but a league OF nations involves
rightly. and OF necessity, certain re-
etrictions on Independent national ac-
ton subversiye of the COMMON veal.
THE nature and. limits Of these re
gtFiCtlOnH neeu 10 Do deeply Gollst0eteu
and carefully defined. EveTy nation
has a right TO know how much u Its
unrestricted and sometimes anarchic
freedom Of action II Is expected 10 sur
render and for this also frank and
open discussion is needed in order to
remove natural prejudice and meet all
reasonable objections.
Lastly, or perhaps we should put
this consideration first OF all, De ara
here concerned with defining the rights
and building up the effective union Of
the free peoples. with making, to use
a famous phrase, the world safe for
democracy, the abiding home of free
Sdom. But freedom implies free play OF
public opinion and popular forces, 1t
would he wholly Inconsistent with this
conception Of social organization and
of government TO hide from the peoples
the making Of the structure OF freedom
In which they are hereafter TO dwell.
Such n procedure Of "concealment be-
longs to the era when 'soVereigns and
statesmen were to ordain and peoples
to obey and follow, All Europe Ia say
ing goodbye to that and joining her
voice TO that OF America, We must
take counsel together on the ground OF
the future, snOt of the past"