The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-02-08
Compulsory Arbitration Is
Dropped From Draft as
SO Far Written.
SENATE STILL TO GUIDE
France and Italy Compel
Abandonment of Con-
scriptiOn Clause.
MAY BE READY IN WEEK
Prospect That Plenary Session
Will Act on League Before
President Leaves.
MAY BE READY IN WEEK
ny LAURENCE HILLS.
STAFF Correspondent Of TIE SUN.

Copyright. 1919: all rights yeserred.
PARIS, Feb. ALI the big commit
tees of the Peace Conference which
are shaping the fundamental agree
ments which will underlie and stp-
port the entire structure of the peace
treaty are pushing their work rapidly
to get it into definite shape before
the departure of President Wilson
for America at the end of next week,
and the prospect tonight is that the
League Of Nations plan AZ least will
60 before n plenary meeting Of the
Peace Congress before that time.
Eleven Articles Drawn.
The work of building up the League
Of Nations has progressed to a point
where eleven OF the twenty-five ar
ticles of the tentative draft have
been submitted and considered and
provisional changes have been made
in each Of them, there being as yet
no final agreement by the committee
on any one article. The part of the
draft so far considered covers the
organization Of the league very
largely. The committee seems 10 he
on the point of agreeing to perma-
nent organization meeting in nell
trai country, with an executive coun-
ell and president
There is mpch speculation here a*
| to whether President Wilson will be
the first head Of the league, an honor
to which many think he IS entitled.
but his friends point out that This Il
altogether unlikely. as the league will
be in existence long before the Prcsi-
dent finishes his term. As the pres.
cnt plan calls for regularly appointed
members, who in turn will elect the
president Of the league, It is probable
| that President Wilson will not even
he a member of the first body. al
though his Successor in the White
House might appoint him as mem
Der, thus making possible his election
eventually as thC> head of the league
Vital Problems StiII wait.
The most difficult of the problem.
before the committee on the Society
Of Nations have not been taken up
yet; for example, compulsory arhitra-
tion has not bern reached at all, its
fate having been settled in informal
conferences. The President, it ap-
pears, did not fight long for this, al.
. though il was ~ h!s draft, tho rna-
son hcing that he had reached the
conclusion it would prccipitatr an
! other fight in the American Senate
such as occurred over the previous
arbitration treaties. ana that even
( If the Senate did accept the principle
it would be with reservations bring
ing IN the Monroe Doctrine, which
might imperil the whole treaty aud
cause much embarrassment.
The President now is moving very
cautiously, his object being to gct
plan thar viii stand tur test Of
Senate debate. He hns consented al
ready 10 several important motiiiica
tionS of his ori&,nal draft suggested
/ by members aS meeting the Rcpuh-
, licun Viewpoint. This is true c>pr.
! cially of one Of the most vital points.
/ that Stjpulating that an invasion ~
another country Shall constitute an
act of war against every member "
the league.
]