Evening star., 1919-01-25
Hope for Definite Announce
ment of Program Today
Is Dissipated.
AGREEMENT PREDICTED
IN NEXT FORTNIGHT
President to Return in About
Three Weeks With Outline i.
of Proposal.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
PARIS, January 24.-AlthoIgh it
bad been hoped to announce definite
plan for the league of nations at to-
morrow's full session of the powers
associated against Germany, it devel-
ops that there must be more discus
sion, and it has been decided that
Lloyd George will make statement of
the principles on behalf Of the great
powers, placing the peace conference
formally on record as indorsing the
creation of league Of nations.
This will be followed by the appoint
ment of a committee Of fifteen. which
will draw together the various plans
into a single comprehensive scheme
that can be put before the world as
the product of the allies. This COM
mittee will consist of two representa-
tives Of each OF the five powers and
smaller nations.
Agreement in Fortnight.
A member of the American delega-
tion predicted to me today that an
agreement would be reached within
a fortnight inasmuch as the plans
thus far submitted and discussed in
formally contain many common fea-
lures. To illustrate this he declared
the plan which differed most widely
from the American plan was 80 per
cent. like it.
The ten delegates who have been
conferring on the plan for the league
discovered that they agreed on many
more points. than they differed on.
Lord Robert Cecil. for instance. in an
interview with the American corre-
spondents today. pointed out that It
would not be fair to the colleagues
from other nations to say the British
plan was wholly British. as 1t in-
corporated ideas which will be found
in the plans presented by the others.
He also said it would be unwise to
make public the plans as backed by
the individual governments. and II Is
expected that the plan when finally
produced will be given out as the
work Of all.
Delegates Plans in Accord.
1t seems quite certain. from every !
kind of information available In va
rious headquarters here. that the
British and American delegates. who
for many days have exchanged views
separately, found themselves almost
in entire agreement. Later, when the
French government appointed Leon
Bourgeois as head Of the French sec
tion Of the league of nations he
evolved a plan strikingly similar to
the others.
The Italian and Japanese delegates.
it is understood. in the end will be
generally sympathetic. though they
have not as yet advanced any spe-.
cific programs of their own. 1t Is most
likely that their representatives will
express their views when. the CONF
mittee of fifteen meets. The vital
thing is that all the groups predict
an early agreement.
The statement which will be made
will reflect the spirit of unity which
is existent on this essential subtect.
Col House, who has been longest on
the ground here of any OF the Amer
lean delegation, speaks with satlsfac.
tion of the progress being made to-.
ward an early agreement
Incidentally, his health Is much I'M
proved and he participated in the
three-hour conference President Will
son had with the American commits
SionerS last night.
President to Stay Three Weeks.
About twenty days remain Of the
time Mr.. Wilson proposed to stay in
Europe. Five of these days he must
devote to the trip through the dew
astated areas of France and Bel
eium It is expected the committee OF
fifteen will be able to present a plan
upon which they are all agreed with
in the next two weeks. This will en-
able the President to depart for Amer
lea with an outline of the league
which he considers paramount to
guarantee future peace, and which
will give the. key for the settlement
of many other questions.
The meeting tomorrow will take
place in the same setting as last Sat
urday, and the press representatives
will be admitted as before. 1t seems
that the members of the various dele
cations are making themselves more
accessible to the press representa-
tives, though it must be noted the
American delegates are more reti-
cent than their European colleagues.
When some one suggested to the
that this might lead to the
that the league of ma
tions, for instance. was mostly the
work of the other delegations, re-
sponse was made that 1t did not much
matter what was taken at this time.
as the delegation would be judged
only by the results accomplished, and
the ability to secure the application
of the fourteen points which have