Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1919-01-13
PEACE COUNCIL HOLDS
ITS FIRST MEETING
Foreign Ministers Of Big Four
Nations at Opening Session;
League Comes First.

Paris, Jan. l3-Thc Supreme Inter
Allied Council met ut 3 o'clock yester-
day afternoon at the Ministry OF For
oign Affairs. Those present were Presi-
dent Wilson, Robert Lansing the Ameri-
can Secretary Of State; Lloyd George,
A. J. Balfour, the British Foreign MIN
istcr; Premier Clemenceau, Stephen
Pichon, the French Foreign Minister:
Premier Orlando, Baron Sonnlno, the
Foreign Minister of Italy; Marshal
Foch, Georges Leygues, French Minister
of Marine Fticnne Clemenceau. French
Minister OF Commerce, and LOUIS Lou
cheur, French Minister OF Industrial
Reconstruction.
FRENCH PLAN A LEAGUE COMMITTEE.
Tho program which France will pro-
pose rs host to the Peace Conference
is understood to provide first for pres
entation Of the status oi society of
nations and the appointment OF com
mttCc to consider II and make rec
concentrations To the full conference.
The next step would toe settlement oi
the status of Germany. Austria, the
Balkans. and other Eastern countries.
The adoption Of the recommends
tiors Of the Committee on League ol
Nations. according to this program,
would bc tho final act OF tho conference.
II i4 nointed out in support of this method
of procedurc that. while the announce
mont Of t.. framework Of a League OF
Nations must form the basis Of the other
work of the conference. the completed
plan of league logically will come up
last. since II must safeguard all the dc
cisions Of tho conference
The proposal TO give preference to
the Question Of the status OF Germany,
after the appointment OF League oi
Nations Committee, IS explained by
the theory that decisions regarding
Austria and the Eastern countries will
hinge upon the conclusion reached re-
garding Germany. 1t is suggested that
il would, for example, be impossi le
To settle the future Of German-Austrla
without knowing the decisions affect
ing Germany.
When the Peace Conference official
IL inauglirates its work on Jan. 20 ac-
cording to the Echo there will nc brought
before il for consideration q memo
randum oi a French demand fer The
Sarrr Basin The memorandum will also
include plan for the lntcrnatlonallza-
ton oi the navigation OF the fhne
with special advantages for nations
bordering on that river
INFLUENTIAL POSITION FoR BRAZIL.
Because OF her active participation
in the war, particularly her naval ac-
! tlvitv. Brazil heads the list Of the Latin
American Allies and will have an intiu-
cntial voice in the making Of peace
Central American nations which de-
clarcd war and are entitled to repre-
ecntation in the Peace Conference are
Panama. Cuba, Haiti, Honduras, Mica
raglla. Guatemala and Santo Domingo
Uruguay, Peru and Bolivia, which serv-
cd relations with the Central Powers,
will also be heard at the conference
4 Polish economic delegation OF nine-
teen members, representing the three
parties in Poland, has arrived IN Paris,
10 settle food, financial, and other qucs-
tions
! The Natin publishes a letter from
! Chckri Ganem. President Of the Syrian
| Committee. Ia Premier Clemenceau,
/ asking that, In response 70 various
| REQUESTS Of Syrian organizations, that
| Clcmenccau demand al the Peace
| Congress that France be intrusted with
| the reconstruction OF all Syria, under
| a regime Of federated autonomous States.
! The requests. it is asserted came from
organizations in North and South America
Africa, and Europe, representing 60o,-
! 900 Syfians
/ At the Franco-American dinner Satur-
dav night Captain Andre Tardieu OF the
French peace delegation said that the
conference must simultaneously nego-
tate peace treaty and fix the basi,
Of the organization Of the new inter
national relationship realizing the prln
ciplcs for which the people had fought
A League Of Nations, he said, toulc
be founded only by the peace treaty
which should contain the principles t.
! govern such league