The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1919-02-04

Mr.. Lansing is Unanimously
Elected President.
70 DECIDE on AUTHORS
The Powers Seek to Place Armenian
Tasi- ca Y. C.-.f.el< Claim Laid
Eforc High Council

Paris. Feb. 4.-RObert Lansing, the
American secretary Of state. was I'M
anhh"Gsly elected president of the
committee of respors. lily for the
WAY which held lis it's. meeting at
the foreign Office:
IL proposing his I.Hii:r. Captain
A!itre Tardicu. TIE French member
Of ,ie committee s.t q that before reg
Uniting a r;ac" justice, it WIS neces-
sary to impose p,4...iT:es upon the a,l-
thors Of the aggr, S<iOnS which had
brought death 10 millions.
The work Il the committee, he eN
pla ned, would be first to study the
fac : VII Oh would establish the guilt
of hose responsible for premeditated
v.C!a t:On Of treaties and international
law. ANA second II fix the penalties
which would be defined and applied.
He closed hy proposing Mr.. Lansing
for president, which was approved by
the committee.
No answer has been returned by the
American delegates 10 the peace con-
ference to what is said to be an al
most unanimous desire OF the other
powers that the United States under
take to act as mandatory for Armenia
and the other severed provinces Of
Turkey.
Such of the American delegates as
will discuss the situation say they are
disposed to resist this development
of the plan for manufactures. holding
it the business of Europe to look after
the Europeans and the people of the
Near East.
The argument used by the powers
is based upon the unlimited confidence
in America of other governments and
because it is known the United States
has 20 territorial aspirations.
Furthermore. it is argued, The con-
fidence of the ArmanianS and the
other peoples of the provinces affect
ed. Through the long cxerted influence
of Robert College, ut CNnstantinople,
is Il strong reason tor the participa-
ton of America as the mandatory
power.
The American delegates feel they
should await the development of sen
timent in America as to what duties
may dpvolve upon the United States
in connection with its interest in the
welfare of dependent peoples.
Ii seems the view in American cir
cleS that the powers granted the man.
r.,
able influence in shaping the attitude
of the American delegation on this
question.
If the mandatory is limited to the
employment of native coHstabuary,
to enforce its mandates there might
be less objection to accepting such
responsibility than if it were con-
templated that the manufactures use
IN nil Military force -their--awn- This
latter idea is obnoxious to the Amer
leans
Before the American attitude can
be determined upon it is held neces-
sary to await the development of the
project to its completion.
NJ Veni.elos. the Greek minister,
presented his nations claims to the
supreme council of the peace confer
ence. The Greek claims embrace
northern Epirus-Thrace down the
including Constant;nople,
and the sea front along western Asia
Minor, with Smyrna as its commercial
and geographical center.
M.VineZelos maintained the Greek
race largely predomnated in these re-
gions. This was so manifest, he said,
in northern Epirug. that
he intimated his Willingness TO leave
the question to a plebiscite of the in
habitants of the various regions, as
the means of determining the racial
predominance.
Concerning Constantinople, he main
tanned if Ottoman sovereignty were
the natural solution would
be to allot Constantinople and its
vilayet distdict to Greece, with inter-
national guarantees for the. free navi-
cation Of the Dardanelles.