The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-12-23
LATTER'S ADDRESS
AT SARBONNE VITAL
His Definition of a League of
Nations Has Attracted At
tention from Public Men
i'm Paris.

Paris, Dec. 90 (by the Associated
Press President Wilson's conferences
to-day and tomorrow will virtually com
plete the preliminaries he is expected tc
dispose of before going to England. They
probably will lay the principal part Of
the groundwork for the actual peace con,
ference
Mr.. Wilson considers the most press
ing of all problems before the entente
nations in a fair way toward being
solved. This is the question of supplying
food to the starving peoples of liberated
countries. It now seems probable that
the work will be handled principally by
thc United States, through Herbert G
Hoover, American food administrator Il
has been made plain to the entente ma
tions 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 satisfactory understand
ing appears to be in sight. Mr. Hoover
will confer with the president again to.
day.
Participation by the United States in
various councils that have been handling
food questions matters of shipping and
the like is being gradually wound up, as
American officials are trending toward
the opinion that these are proper sub
iects for the concentration of league
of nations, or at least of preliminary
organizations which may preeede it.
Some Of those who have been giving th6
al -f, nd haxr ai
lowing the conference with entente rep.
resentatiyes say they would not be sur.
prised if the real foundation Of league
of nations were to be laid in cooperative
arrangements between the United State:
and the allies for handling these funda.
mental questions.
Mr.. Wilson's address at the Sorbonnt
on Saturday, in which he again defined
his conception Of a league Of nations, at
tracted closest attention from all pub
lie men here This is especially true
Of his statement that the war could new
er have occurred if the central powers
had discussed it for fortnight, and GER
tainly not if they had been forced tx
talk matters over for more than a year
The presidents address has recalled
1Hdb the IHltgd DldbCSS NlAilt W llllbhA y
BRYAN was secretary Of state, negotiated
a dozen arbitration treaties, one Of then
with Great Britain. These treaties bount
their signatures to discuss their contro
versies for at least a year before pro
ceeding to a declaration of war. An at
tempt was made to negotiate such Z
treaty with Germany, but the BerliT
government refused to entertain it. II
Is also recalled the same idea was once
expressed in a plan for preserving peace
put forward by group headed by Wis
count James Bryce, former British am
bassador 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 element;
in the proposed machinery for preserving
world peace, but his reference to the plar
in his Sorbonne speech has set public
men to talking.
No announcement has been made as tx
how far the conferences between Mr.. viii
son, Premier Clemenceau, Premier Or
lando and Foreign Minister Sonnino have
gone, but French public men have de
cared that their premer's talks with tht
president were entirely satisfactory. Il
is also believed that Mr.. Wilson has
made substantial progress in his confer
ences with Italian statesmen.