The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1919-06-23
RESUME PEACE
CONFERENCE
INTEREST NOW
Pact is Fruit of Five Months
of Conferences Between
80 Allied Nations and Ger
many.

The Peace Treaty of Versailles is
the fruit Of about five months confer
ences in which delegations from 80
allied countries and Germany partici-
pated. The five leading nations, the
| United States. Great Britain, France.
Italy and Japan were represented In
the peace conferences at Paris by five
delegates each while the delegations of
other nations and British dominions
were composed of from one to three.
The representatives of the United
States were President Wilson, Secre-
tary OF State Robert Lansing. Henry
White, formerly American ambassador
at Rome and Paris; Colonel Edward
NJ House and Gen. Tasker H. Bliss.
Georges Clemenceau. premier Of
France, was chairman of the peace
conference.
AT first a supreme council or n
council OF ten was organized so as to
include two representatives each from
Great Britain. France and the United
States. Italy and Japan. Subsequent
~ this council was divided in two
parts-a council OF four. composed OF
president Wilson and Premiers Lloyd
George, Clemenceau and Orlando; and
a council of foreign ministers.
The conference OF the allied dele
cations convened officially on Jan
uary is to draw up the terms to be
submitted when completed 10 the Ger
man delegation. President Wilson had
arrived in France on December 13 and
had visited England. Italy and parts
of France.
One Of the first acts OF the confer
ence was to send proposal to all Rus
sian factions to meet on the Princes
Islands to endeavor to compose the
Russian internal situation but this
plan was rejected by the Russians
Various factions which were dispur-
ing over territory in different sections
of Europe were directed by the peace
conference to discontinue their con-
flicts.
The first step toward the actual
drafting OF the treaty occurred or
January "a when the conference agreed
to the plan for organization of u
League of Nations and a committee
was appointed to draw up covenant.
BY January 80 the conference .1a q
adopted the plan OF governing colonies
and backward nations Through man
datories issues to various nations.
subject to the direction and approval
of the League of Nations.
The covenant of the League of Ma
tions was completed on February II.
On the following day President VIII
son left France for the United States.
He returned to France. arriving there
March 13. In his absence the council
of ten had continued its work despite
an attempt 20 assassinate Premier
Clemenceau.
A report OF the International Labor
Legislation committed was adopted
April IL. Reparation demands TO be
made on Germany were approved
April IA and the Germans were invited
on April 16 to send their delegation
to Versailles to receive the treaty.
The peace conference next consider
ed the treaty with Austria. The Ital-
ian delegation insisted upon obtaining
control of the formerly Austrian city
OF Fiume but on April % President
Wilson gave out a statement that
Fiume could not be given to Italy. On
the next day Premier Orlando return
ed to Rome and for more than a week
thereafter the Italian delegatcS We're
absent but returned on May Z IN time
TO participate in the conference with
the German delegates.
A revised covenant OF the League Of
Nations intended to conform in re-
spect to the Monroe doctrine to oil,
jections raised in America was adort-
ed by the peace conference on April
2s. Geneva was selected as the seat
of the League.
Shantung was disposed of on April
80 when the council of three voted 20
turn it over to the Japanese on assur-
ances that it would be given later to
the Chinese
The Germans, headed by Count
Brockdorff- -Rantzau, arrived in Yer
sailles and presented their credentials
to the allied delegates on May I.
The peace treaty was presented 10
(continued on page two)