The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-03-27
Want Quick Action
No Matter How Taken
French Grow Restless Over
Withdrawal of Allied
Troops With Peace
Still in The Air.

Paris. March .6.--No matter
what thr peace conference does.
IL seems unable tn please a CIR
tain SECTION 81 the French con-
ser,auvc prcSs--a section which
docs not necessarily represent
either the governments view or
those Of the people nj large.
When President Wilson fsrst came
TO Europe he aroused 6anIs- ht&teeness
in these journalistic quarters by
warily side-st~ppinx certain diplomat
both here and in England and italy
every time they cried: Here take
this contract" with the view TO max
ing him commit himself informally 10
certain projects before they were
taken as formally,
The president al that time was ae.
cused OF pursuing a blue sky dipio-
macy, lacking sense of realities Eu-
ropean diplomats said. In substance
After all it is in the small com
rntttee sessions that the real work
must he- done.
"Picnary sessions decide nothing
they merely approve or reject"
I'ut now THAT only pienary sessions
with press representatives present
become rarer and rarcr. but also the
council of ten has been virtually
abolished and replaced by the big
foatf r>-sst1i conservative writer's are
displeased. They arc heaping ridi-
Guile upon the swan song" of the
council of ten over the disposition OF
the German cables. The plants and
walls OF some of these writers Dear
earmarks or inspiration from
above"
Atfhnpwh fha ,raa,tpy~ -, ,nn ,.,rr,
ell of ten and the records Of these
meetings were strictly secret. French
newspaper men were wonderfully
wellinformed about what happened
Whether the future private meetings
al the private houses of Presidan,
Wilson and the British and French
premiers will he equally susceptible te
correct editorial diagnosis remains tr
be seen
When al the beginning of the
peace conference, tho American and
British correspondents fought SO IN.
crTetically for full publicity, thsii
French colleagues were not enthud-
as,ic about the struggle, but now they
accuse the big four" OF hiding in re-
treat, fleeing from hostile criticism
The small committee" is here. bu,
there is a growing belief that 1t Is toe
small. While secret diplomacy is uni
versally condemned, diplomatic Sc
crecy appears to be indispensable.
There are those here who attribute
the events in Hungary to premature
press indiscretions regarding the de.
cisfons Of the peace council regarding
the Rumanian frontier.
Now we are face to face with this
dilemma, that the decision must b
reached by either one man--which |:
autocracy. no matter by whom prac.
ticed--~-or by the small committee
which now gathers daily around thu
peace tsfle. Ones OF these two course.
e the only way to get action, and &C
clAmors for. fearing that unless actor
comes now and Immediately. ths
fruits of the allied American victor.
will never be harvested.
France alone has $500, 900 less MGR
under arms today than She had las
November when the armtstice wa,
signed. The French people view witt
apprehension the daily departures g,
thousands OF British and Americay
soldiers homeward-with apprehen
sion because the account with Ger.
many In still unsettled.
Tho French fear II that IL too many
allied troops are demobiltxed befors
that account n, settled. the German.
may speak with = still greater degree
Of assurance than they have already
assumed
The common people OF France DC
not care who makes the decisions
whether IL II a council Of ten or q
committee Of four---as long a. decis.
ions are actually and quickly reached
A regular wave Of pcssimism seems
70 have struck this country. When.
ever during the war thinss looked
black, CustAvo Herve published edi.