Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-10-28
PRESIDENT BORE BRUNT
OF THE HEAVY FIGHTING
AT PEACE CONFERENCE
Constantly at Odds With Allied Powers,
Which Soug hit Material Advantages,
Says Ray Stannard Baker.
FINALLY WON LIBERAL POLICY FOR
COLONIES IN FIRST GREAT CRISIS

I tion to the President. and the attacks
made upon him by various repuo-
lican leaders in the Senate. tended to
| weaken his influence at Paris. To
any one who had been in Europe dur
ing the last year of the war. before
the peace conference began, as l had
been, this change of attitude toward
Wilson among the leaders (not among
| the people) was most evident.
No sooner had the peace. conference
got down to business. sitting within
the double dooreds soundproof room IN
the French foreign Office. than the
struggle began-and it centered at
once upon an issue between President
Wilson. demanding the acceptance OF
a broad principle of policy. and the
other allies demanding that their in
terests be served. President Wilson
had wished to have the hardest prob
, lens. those relating to European con-
ditions, taken up first. because he be-
arose from the unsettled conditions
there. But the irresistible tempta-
ton. as in all such conferences, was
to put Off hard questions, assign them
to committees and take up what
seemed to be the easy problem first.
Spells Are Big Issue.
The easy problem here seemed to
be the disposition OF the German COL
ohASc. Every Ouo was dSTeeu ITOHl
the beginning that they should not
be returned to Germany. They ap
peared. therefore. to be the easy
spoils of war: the jackpot of the
great game. And one morning, with
out any introduction, without a word
or warning. they prepared to carve
them up and distribute them around.
Apparently everything had somehow.
somewhere. been worked out Japan
was to have certain islands in the
Pacific, Australia and New Zealand
certain others. the South African
federation was to have a big slice in
Africa. France was to have such and
such colonies and Great Britain Itself
such others.
One of the most extraordinary
things about the peace conference
throughout was the efficiency of the
British and French foreign Offices, or
diplomatic machines. They always
had a plan ready: always had 1t mi
ntely worked out. Even in the minor
| sat, nc sooner was question
preached than the French or British
had an elaborate plan, beautifully
typewriter, to put down There is an
enormous advantage in this, as these
experienced negotiators well knew, for
plan tends to shape the views of
every one present and place all other
conferees in the position of critics.
could give numbers of instances in the
high councils in which. although the
Americans were the suggesters Of an
idea. the actual resolutions were pre-
scented by Mr.. Lloyd George or some
other member. A man or q nation.
also. that desires a specific material
thing-an island, for example, or a sum
of money-is always in a very much
stronger and more definite position
than a man or nation that seeks to
Sol va~fta 4fvHtA
complicated situation. It is SO easy
to play the old familiar game; SO diff
cult to play the new. It was the new
game that Mr.. Wilson had to play
and every one knows how
wearing 1t Is. mentally and physically,
to be constantly in opposition. con-
stantly forced to play a lone hand.