The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1918-12-20
WILSON CONFERS
WITH PREMIER
Was Engaged With CIemenCaau
More Than Hour.
THE LID is PUT ON new ,
Most of Peace Parieys Will be Held
in Secret-May Invite the Neutrals
to Attend Conferences.

Paris, Dec. 2O--Premier Clemenceau
and Colonel E. NJ House visited
President Wilson at his Paris resi-
dence, the Murat mansion
The French premier and die prcsi-
dent were engaged for more than an
hour i'll an intimate discussion.
The date of the first meeting of the
interallied conference has not been
determined, nor has the date Of the
first assembling of the peace congress.
1t has not been determined whether
the actual sessions Will be open.
President Wilson'S inclination is sad
to be that the sessions be open as far
as possible, but - is expected that 1t
will develop that much of the Work
will be done secretly and then per-
fected openly.
II seems probable that German rep
resentatives will not figure in the pre-
liminaries, and until these are dispos-
ed of it cannot be decided whether the
neutrals will he invited to discuss the
subject of a league of nations The
CONSENSUS of opinion of the best IN
formed observers here seems 10 be
that they intimately will be so inVlt-
ed
Il SENS evident that Americans may
expect that the announcements on the
progress of the conferences will be OF
very limited nature until after the
new year, the intervening time being
taken up by exchanges which are
necessarily confidential.
President Wilson personally has
taken hand in seeing that the Unit
ed States is informed Of what is going
on in the peace conferences. He took
the first step at his conference with
the other American delegates 1t was
decided and later announced that the
delegates would see American news
naper correspondents each morning
for a frank discussion of developments
and the proceedings of the confer
ences.
The American commissioners con-
ferred with American newspaper cor
RESPONDENTS for the first time Wed
nesGay. All other correspondents were
excluded. 1t was stipulated that none
of the announcements TO be made was
for purposes of publication, being only
for the guidance of the correspon-
dents
During Mr.. Wilson's inspection of
fhe American peace mission headquar-
ters in the Hotel de Crillon, an Off
cial photograph was made of the pres
ident and the other delegates by army
photographers. President Wilson sat
In the center with Secretary Lansing
md Colonel House on his right and
with Henry White and General Bliss
on his left The photograph was TAX
en- in the conference room of the
American headquarters, which over
looks the broad Place de la Concorda,
where stood the guillotine during the
French revolution.
The president continues to receive
, exhaustive reports of what is going
on in Washington and the United
States. and he has read the twenty
one points outlined by Senator Lodge
in a speech in the senate.
President Wilson was handed an
address of welcome by the Central
Union of French Agricultural associ-
atfons, on behalf of its $500 affiliated
organizations.
After pointing out the share that
the rural classes had in winning the
victory for the allies, the address set
forth the peculiar conditions under
which French agriculture is operating
and calls the attention of the peace
conference to the fact that protection
Is necessary for its normal develop
ment and for the resumption of agri-
cultural effort in regions devastated
by the war