The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-03-10


on In Paris All the time. whsn you
rcsd your pcacc conference dispatches.
In whatever paper you buy, you may
rest assured that you are getting only
the news that the French want you to
seS' And there begins to be disduiet-
ing evidence thai our mission doesn't
want you TO get any more Information
than the French do.
secret covenants. secretly entered
into, seem To be the working rule Of
the conference at present.
when It became known that all the
sessions OF the conference were 10 be
held behind closed doors, the corre-
spondents made a serious written pro-
test To the members OF the missions,
AT the end of twenty-four hours a
long reply was issued. the glst of
which was to the effect that IL the peo-
pie at home knew too much about
what was going on, they might object
,1A@ y tx: +.'ses.a~sasys ~ ~,
fsf@<tuet. the document, asserted was
all that the people OF the several couu-
cries neet concern themselves with
And the executive sessions OF the sen
at". one OF the curses OF American
government, were cited precedent fer
secrecy.
1t was agreed. however that the
she open sessions OF the conference.
but ~ the open ssseiors consist only of
specchmaking and taking votes already
agreed upon. their news value is non
existent.
S'~athef In Secrecy.
What Is going on In thte session
which The conferecs call picturesquely
'3n camera" is swathed IN the utter
most SCI rety
IN So cases It was found that GER
tain II. GERS OF the American mission
itself kicw nothing of the proceedings
Cert My here Is no man in Paris who
can osit.vely state fro l., own
know'"d~ what is to be decided upon
save the rev heads OF the greater ma
lions who determine these matters be-
hinG tightly closed doors
The comm0nioues sisted by the con-
fersnce are models Of brevity and am
b.Euity They always note that the
: president u -4v GATED States the pre-.
niece OF France, England, Japan, etc
met Al the Quai d'Orsay and discussed
important matters, hut concerning the
, discussion they say nothing AT all.
d Now aud then II is announced that
MI. So -and-So of Russia talked about
con itions In that country. but nothing
, Of what ne said ever slips out
Row and then the British papers
rranaGe 10 get one ( their commits
. sioners in corner and make him dis
gorge a little information LORD Rob
eFt Cccil, who is one of the league of
rauot5 enthusiast. now and then
: talked for publication 10 British newse
pa Hernteu. al the several league OF
nations plans were published at length
In England only.
Probably No American Plan
we American correspondents could
I. never get word out Of our commits
= hTf A
flet, am beginning to think that there
never was any American plan When
we suggested that our fellow country
= men were Interested to some extent in
the peace conference, we were told that
5 to reveal our plan would be to invite
j The hostility OF other nations Inas-
much as the American plan was never
submitted 10 the American people, hut
r only the British plan. the dangers OF
9 THIS hostility seem to have been
tavprtad
When the com m fssioners are in con
ference all leaks are guarded aEaius,
lane all clerks are forbidden on pain
jof heavy penalties from saying any
thing
The present idea is 10 give out only
rcsufs--prohabjv only the final re.
suit Of all. and TO furnish in the mean
time onFy dry ard uninteresting de.
iails Of discussions that, never get
anywhere.
Never in the world was there such
n star chamber proceeding, and
\, never since tho beginning OF the
II world was there n time when the PEG.
= pie wore more vitality interested AZ
tn The deliberations Of great body.
= Ii may be that the new diploma
II can take counsel from tho plain peo
Il pie know nothing whate.er OF wha
II ne is doing, But should think tina
f. this PLAIN counsellor would be consid
- sFabtV better able TO give his counse
n u he knew at least one or two O.
It the things that the diplomat is doing
snd at least a part of the diplomat
"a h'tentions toward the future of tn,
+ world. AS 1t Is, What with secrec,
Y at the Quail d'Orsay and thick cur,
t. tain of censorship over the CT bles. tn,
y plain people know nothing whateve,
and will know nothing until the Who'll,
- business is ended and must either re
% ject peace altogether or take tha kin,
y of peace that has been made To-
them, TN camera"