The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-01-10
There Has Been a Month of De
lay in Peace Matters.
And Now the Conference Is
About To Start OF.
WAIT FOR The BRITISH
Americans Wanted TO Go On
z With Negotiations.
President Wilson Vetoed This
Plan at the Start.

Paris. Jan. 10.-After nearly
month of waiting and preparation
conversations which will lay the foun-
dation of the actual peace congress
are about to start. American delegates
feel that a great deal of progress
might have been made before now if
full representation of the nations
allied against Germany had arrived
promptly.
Suggestions have been made that
the French and American delegates
go ahead while awaiting the arrival
of the British plenipotentiaries, who
are expected Saturday. President
Wilson, however, vetoed that plan,
holding that, inasmuch as there has
already been SO long delay, it would
be best to wait little longer to Sc
cure the participation of the British.
AS many of the principal questions
TO be threshed out in preliminary con-
fsrences concern most intimately the
United States, Great Britain and
France, there is some hope of fair
Roadway being made while awaiting
the official announcement of the full
Italian delegation and the arrival of
the Japanese representatives. The
Belgians will arrive next week, but of
course they are in the status of minor
beIifgerents They have taken over
one of the largest hotels in Paris.
Wilson Comes Back.
The first few conferences between
the Americans, French and British
probably will develop just how much
President Wilson goes home next
month. 1t is settled that when he
reaches America, one of his first acts
will be to address congress and give
a report on what has been accom-
pliShed, Some trained diplomats
among the Americans here are agreed
that the most Mr.. Wilson can hope to
report will probably be a general un-
dertaking of the widest sort upon a
set of principles which must be left to
be applied by the peace congress. Mr..
Wilson hopes to be able to do more.
but unless something unexpected hap
pens, ii seems probable that physical
conditions alone will prevent the ac-
complishment' of more during the re-
naming six weeks of his stay.
Each of the bodies of peace commits
sionerS will necessarily go thru an
organization process This work has
taken the Americans a month and
even now they are only partially
ready. The French. of course, have
their organization on the spot. The
British have brought over from Eng
land a highly developed machine
which is virtually ready to function.
Even the elevator conductors and
porterS are men who have been tested
out in the service of the British gov
eminent and whose dependence has
been established. The Japanese will
have to organize after reaching here,
as will the Belgians and other minor
belligerents.
These very essential preliminaries
will not necessarily delay the informal
conversations but they will in a meas
ure delay the working of group
plans conferences by which the
principal belligerents expect to thresh
out points with interested neutrals.
~ acknowledgements or minor nations en-
gagged in the war and reduce their
results to memoranda which are to
go to the peace congress for inclusion
in the final settlement. President
Wilson's feeling on coming to Europe
as early as he did was that all the
entente governments had made their
Preparations to get down to talking
peace 1t is not an over-statement of
the case to say that Mr.. Wilson and
the American commissioners have
been disappointed in meeting with de-
lays. Various elements are recognized