Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-01-10
STAGE READY
FOR OPENING
PEACE MEET
Conversations Between
Allied Leaders Will
Be First Step.

Z gress, are about to start. Amerl-
can delegates feel that a great deal
of progress might have been made
! before now if full representation
of the nations allied against Ger
many could have arrived promptly.
Suggestions have been made that
the French and American dele
gates go ahead, while awaiting the
arrival of the British plenipoten-
| tiaries who are now expected on
I Saturday. President Wilson. how
ever. vetoed that plan, holding that
1 inasmuch as there has already
/ been SO long a delay. it would be
! best to wait a little longer TO Sc
7 cure the participation of the Brit
ish.
AS many of the problems to be
threshed out in preliminary confer
enceS largely concern Great Brit
ain and France, there is some hope
of fair headway being made while
awaiting the Official announcement
of the full Italian delegation and
the arrival of the japanese repre-
( sentatives. The Belgians will ar
rive eeXt week, but of course they
are in the status of minor bellig-
erents. They have taken over one
OF the largest hotels in Paris.
viii Report to Congress.
The first few conversation con-
ferences, between the Americans,
British and French. probably will
develope just how much progress
may be expected before President
Wilson goes home next month. 1t
is held that when he arrives in
America. one of his first acts will
be to direct to congress, a report
on what has been accomplished.
Some trained diplomats among the
Americans here agreed that the
most Mr.. Wilson can nope to re
port will probably be general un-
dertaking of the widest sort upon a
set of principles which must be
left TO be applied by the peace con
gress. Mr.. Wilson hopes 10 be aDIe
TO do more but unless something
unexpected happens. it seems prob
able that physical conditions alone
will prevent the accomplishment of
more during the remaining six
weeks of his stay.
Each of the bodies of peace COM
missioners will necessarily go
through an organization process.
This work has taken the Americans
a month and even now they a-e
only partially ready. The French,
of course. have their organization
on the spot The British have
brought over from England a highly
developed machine which is vir-
tually ready to function. Even the
elevator conductors and porters
are men who have been tested out
in the service of the British gov
ernment and whose dependence has
been established. The Japanese will
have to organize after reaching
here. as will the Belgians and 9TH
er minor belligeTents.
These very essential preliminar-
les will not necessarily delay the
informal conversations but they
will, in a measure delay the work
ing of group plan" conferences by
which the principal belligerents eX-
pect to thresh out points with in
.terested neutrals. belligerents
or minor nations engaged in the
war and reduce their results tto
memoranduns which are TO go to
the peace congress for inclusion in
the final settlement.
Disappointed at Delay.
President Wilson's feeling on
coming TO Europe as early as he
did was that all the entente gov
ernments had made their prepar-
ations to get down TO talking peace.
II 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 recog-
nized by diplomats here as reasons
for deferriug the start toward
peace but it seems plain that the
influence of the United States is
about to be exerted for steps when
without further delay will permit
a start on the business of return
ing the world TO a peace basis.
The American delegates are un-
inclined TO feel very strongly that
the plans are made to permit the
activities of peace to be resumed in
warning countries before the de-
mobilization of their armies may
bring unweIcome problems.
The return of Mr. Wilson to the
eriCan delegation to four but if was
explained today that delegations
Will vote as units. and that the
president never had intended to sit
continuously at the peace table.
Have discussed Only Principles.
Up to the present, all the pro-
gress that has been made has been
in President Wilson's conferences
with the French. British and Ital-
ian statesmen. The detailed CON
clusions reached at these confer
ences are probably known only to
the participants. The president,
for his part. is said TO have felt
that ii was not prudent TO disclose
entirely what went on, although he
intends that the proceedings shall
go on in the way of open diplomacy
when he feels it is safe TO lift the
curtain and let the world look at
the performance.
The most that can be said of the