The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-01-18
OFFICIAL REPORT OF PROCEEDINGS
 OF PEACE MEETING
By AssoniAted Press

By Associated Press
 Paris. January 17.--The following of icial communication dealing with th' eace conference was issued this eve ing:
 The President of the United States of America, the prime min isters and foreign ministers of the allied great powers. assisted by the Japanese ambassadors in Paris and London, met at the Quai DOT say today. in the morning from 10:3o "a. m. to 12:s0 D. m, and in the afternoon from D. m. to 5:30 D. m.
 The French president of the council read out the terms of the renewal of the armistice.
 "The meeting decided to give Belgium and Serbia three dele- gates each at the conference. It was decided also that the King of Hedjas should be represented by two delegates. The question of the number of delegates from the va rious powers thus was finally es- tablished.
 ''The programme for the opening conference, which will take place at the foreign office tomorrow at o'clock in the afternoon, was Afterwards arranged
 'The meeting finally examined into the question of the publicity 10 be given to the discussions of the conference and unanimously approved the following text to be handed to the press in the name of the five great powers:
 " The representatives of the allied and associated powers have given earnest consideration to the question of publicity for the proceedings of the peace conference They are anxious that the public, through the press. should have the fullest information compatible with the safeguarding of the supreme interest of all, which is that a just and honorable settlement should be arrived at with the mini- mum of delay.
 Tt is, however, obvious that pub licity with regard to the preliminary conversations now proceeding must be subject to the limitations necessarily Imposed by the difficult and delicate nature of their object. The proceed ings of a peace conference are far more analogous to the meetings of a cabinet than to those of legislature. Nobody has ever suggested that cabi- net meetings should be held in pub lie, and. if they were so held. the work ,f haa sible
 One reason why cabinets are held in private is in order that differences may be reconciled and agreements reached before the stagefof publicity is begun. The essence of the demo cratic method is not that tho, deiber- ations of a government be conducted in public, but that it's conclusions be subject to the consideration of a pop ular chamber and to free and open discussion on the platform and by the press.
 Representatives of the allied and associated powers arc holding conver- sations in order to solve questions which affect the vital interests of many nations and upon which they may at present hold many diverse views. These deliberations cannot proceed by the method of a majority vote. No nation can be committed except by the free vote of it's own delegates. The conclusions arrived at in these consultations can only be formed by difficult processes of reaching an agreement among all.
 This vital process would only be hindered in the dicussion if every disputed question were open by pub ysc <;NA hx, 1oI 70 it's own national point of view. Such a declaratio A would in many cases be followed ts premature public contro- versy.
 '' This would be serious enough if it were confined to controversy between parties within each state. It might be extremely dangerc1s if, as would often be inevitable, it resulted in con- troversy between nations.
 |" Moreover. such public declarations would render the give and take on the part of the delegates themselves which is essential to successful ne- gotiation. matter of infinitely greater difficulty. It is also extremely important that the settlement should be not only just but speedy.
 "'Every belligerent power is anxious for the early conclusion of peace in order that it's armies may be demo- bilized and that 1t may return once more to the ways of peace.
 If premature publicity Is given to the negotiations the proceedings of the peace conference would be inter- minably protracted and the delegates would be forced to speak not only of the business before the conference. but to concern themselves with the con- troversies which had been raised b the account of their proceedings out side.
 :. Finally there will often be very strong reasons against announcing the conclusions of the conversations as they are arrived at. The representa- tives of a nation may be willing to give their assent on one point, only
 tCo.tl.ses os Pase Eleven)