The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-01-17
as vita, as the Russian situation.

as vital as the Russian situation.
1t was explained today that the mat
ter of sending an allied commission to
Russian conditions Is be-
ing held in allegiance because of the
illness OF Colonel House. This is only
part OF the reason. The other part
/ is the sudden realization In certain
quarters that such a move would
mean at least partial recognition OF
the present Russian government, In
less the delegates are able to devise
some form of inquiry that would elm
mate all possibility Of its being con-.
strued as any form Of recognition, IT
lis possible that no Investigation OF
Russian problems will be undertaken
until after the full peace congress
votes on it-and then only in case
1.-THE advocates of an inquiry out-vote
their opponents.
Russia's Case puts on trial at the
outset OF the conferences the prln-
ciple of self determination and It Is
certain to be a bitter fight, since IL
involves the question of the right OF
any nation to launch an entirely new
form of government; In this instance,
and industrial democracy.
A certain royal parsonage speaking
to the correspondents, a few days
ago remarked, 'if Russia had taken
the direction of a political democ-
racy there would be no question OF
recognizing it's government researches
of allegations of atrocities and ter
rorism but nobody knows where TINS
industrial democracy will lead. ne
also remarked that the trouble with
the soviet government Is that IL Is
doing too damned well"
So far as the American delegates
are concerned, there are no signs OF
sympathy for the soviet regime, but
thev are alive to the danger OF N.e
peace conference working IN the
dark on vital matter. This is re-
isponsfbIe for their determination to
find some method for throwing light
on the Russian situation. Sending
commission OF investigation seems to
be favored by the Americans at pres
ent though there is some talk OF IN
yiting representatives Of the soviets
to come to Paris and state their case.
( In the meantime Colonel House Is
still i'll and the first step toward en-
tightening the world---as well as the
peace delegates themselves may be
a success of the fight to make good
ON President Wilson'S first point
Secrecy Breeds War.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 17.-Secrecy
in the peace conference means an
other world war, Senator Lewis, I'LL
nois, democratic whip, today declared
in the senate Lewis echoed criticism
OF the reported 'bottling up" OF the
peace conference voiced by Senator
Borah, Idaho, who declared with Lew
lis, that continuation of secret diplom-
acy means that the dream OF world
peace will not come true.
After reading dispatches from Paris
telling OF the apparent decision to
close the conference to newspaper
correspondents. Borah said he had
been informed the subject had been
re-opened with some prospect Of a
modification of the secrecy order.
For this reason" said Borah, "the
senate. should go on record as sup
porting ernphatically the view of the
American delegation on open sessions
There can be no doubt from Presi-
dent Wilson's language ON January
eighth, that the first of his fourteen
peace terms meant open session OF
the peace congress. He was careful
to say that peace treaties should not
only be open but that they should be
openly arrived at.
Secret diplomacy has left trail