Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-02-23
HOW LEAGUE WAS
FORMED IS TOLD
FOR FIRST TIME
Meetings Held in Col, Houses
Work Shop With Little For
maIity and on Strict BuSi-
neSS-Iike Basis.

10Y MoRNNs JOURNAL SPECIAL LEASED wiREI
Paris, Feb. %, (by the Associated
Press For the first time the veil
which has concealed the inner work.
ings of the commission of the peace
conference which prepared the plan
of the league of nations has been
lifted 1t now is possible to disclose
at least some of the facts connected
with the achievement by which nine
teen men in thirty working hours
wrought the plan, which, if their eN-
pcctatons are realized, is to prevent
future warfare.
The scene was in room 3j1 of the
Hotel De Grillon; Colonel Houses
workshop. 1t is "A large and ornately
decorated chamber such as is com
mon in many Paris hotels. 1t had
been turned into Il business office.
Around a big red table sat the nine
teen members of the commission and
| behind them were seated translatorS,
secretaries and experts.
! in this room the commission met
| ten times in eleven days. The hours
were irregular, as most of the COM
| missioners were obliged frequently to
| interrupt the special work to attend
meetings of other commissions. No
| time was set for the session or for
the termination of the days work
Time was a secondary consideration
! and nobody looked at the clock
At the outset the task was cut IN
| half by dispensing with the tedious
| process of retranslation, Instead, in
! terpreters sat close behind the COM
missioners and in low tones trans
| lated the remarks Of the speakers
word by word. Much time was also
saved by preparatory work, each
! statesman coming to the conference
with well formulated and definitn
! ideas regarding the league of nations.
as result of many private confer
ences which had been held between
them from the time President Wilson
| landed in France.
Very Busincssiikc.
| The meetings we're business like 10
| a degree. The members met on the
| hour greeting each other pol2kly
! but shortly; took their documents
out of their portf0rios and proceeded
| Immediately with the next article
| Before each was revised, a copy Of
the preceding days record as we'll as
of all new papers relating to the sub
| jects likely to come before them, was
| distributed The members propos-
| ten and they were handed to their
| colleagues in advance to insure quick
| action
Extreme simplicity prevailed. Dip
! lomatic dress disappeared with the di-
| plomacy of the past Business suits
were worn. The members went about
the matter in commonplace way,
There were no orations no spinning
out of technical points. Plain speak
ing prevailed. Stenographic reports
were barred, to restrain oratory and
to announce the reticent.
President Wilson presided at all the
meetings except one. When some of
| the members looked far into the fu-
! ture he brought them back to the
thing in hand with the remark:
"Gentlemen--T have no doubt that
| the next generation will he made up
Of men as intelligent as you or ], and
| think we can trust the league to
manage its own affairs"
First Meeting.
The first meeting, on February /,
| was very brief. The president spoke
| a few words and presented a draft of
| the plan, which the commissioners
! agreed to use as the basis of discus
| sion. Day after day this was criticised
| and amplified, and on February IL
at the eighth meeting, the first read
ing was completed
Though the project emerged un-
changed in principle many amend
! ments were pending. A drafting COM
! mittee attended to this, and the Amer
! lean soldiers who set the type, cor
| rected the proofs and ran the press
which turned out the final draft, will
! treasure the letter of thanks Which
| the president sent to them before he
| sailed.
The final meeting on February Il
| had a dramatic finish in its simplicity
The. president was attending a meet
ing of the supreme council and Lord
Robert Cecil presided over the com
mission. The remaining articles were
| passed upon. At 7;2S O'clock in the
evening, Lord Robert read the twenty
sixth and lest article and quietly re-
marked:
us there any objection to this arti'
cle?"
He waited moment and added:
IF not, it is adopted. Gentlemen
| our work is done. The president OF
the United States will report our con
illusions to the plenaly session of tbs
conference tomorrow"
The commission then left the room
|