El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1919-03-14
COL House Is
PObNLarAtThe
Peace Meeting
After President Wilson Is
Probably Most Popular
Man Attending.

] WASHINGTON II. u MdEEA IL
OF all the personalities at the
Peace Conference the status OF none
IS more unique than that Of Col Ed
ward NJ House. member extraordinary
OF the American Mission to Negotiate
! Peace. So far as rank IS concerned
he IS entitled TO no more distinction
than any OF the other 90 delegates but
he gets more than any other person
with the possible exception OF presi-
/ dent Wilson himself
! A glance at the visitors book,
/ which a couple Of American blue
, Jackets flank as they sit on guard at
/ the entrance TO the apartments Of
{ Col. House on the third floor Of the
I Hotel CrilIou IN Paris, Is convincing
] proof Of the esteem In which IS held
[ the man who has long been the per-
! sonaI representative Of the president
! in Europe. Premier Clemenceau
drops in for a conference-he often
! comes without arranging a previous
appointment Foreign secretary Bal
l four and lord Robert Cecil are fire.
I quent callers. Even marshal Foch mas
( been on the House register twice in
I the same day. On one afternoon pres
: fdeut Wilson who had come uuhidden
I INTERRUPTED a conference between Col.
: House and premier CleTenceau- lord
! Robert Cecil had the next engage
nssnt. The French premier over
STAYED the hour for the meeting with
I lord Robert. and as a consequences the
] secretaries attached 70 Col House
found themselves In a quandary try
| ing 10 keep the schedule OF engage
ments and the distinguished visitors
in harmony
l. Busy Every Day.
Every day IS a busy one with the
colonel He sees more people than
any delegate IN Paris. He rarely
leaves his apartments to go calling
on his colleagues. His health has
been poor and with the exception OF
an hours walk with his physician in
the morning and an hour with some
member Of his family In the after
the Hotel CrillOn- As a consequence
the famous covenant which IS at
present being discussed the world
over was framed in the little red
room which adjoins Col. Houses living
quarters. There for three weeks
nearly every night president Wilson
and IS other delegates representing
Great Britain. France. italy. Japan.
Belgium. China. Greece and Brazil
gathered as a special cOmittee OF the
Peace Conference to draft a plan for
the League OF Nations.
Il IS not from American sources in
Paris where naturally respect and i'd
miration for Col. House Is 20 be
found. but from the delegates Of other
countries that 7 obtained this impress
sion Of his enviabie position Many
Of the delegates feel that a conference I
with him is just as rood as one with
the president, because the minds OF
the two men run along the same lines
with respect 70 American participation
in most Of the problems involved
These men VIII tell you privately that
they like 10 do business with the col
oneI. AMI that they are very fond OF his
gracious ways and pleasant manner
Guides Correspondents.
So far as the American correspond I
snts were concerned, they received far [
more guidance from Col House as to
what was going on In Paris than they
did from any other member OF the
American mission The president was
usually too busy to see any CORES
pondeuts and the other members OF
the delegation with the expectation Of ]
Col House. didn't feel that they were
privileged TO discuss matters OF pol I
icy for publication
There Is every reason 70 believe
Col House viii concern himself a
great deal with the arguments made i
In the American senate AGAINST GER
tain features OF the league OF nations. I.
II was Col House who, while anxious
70 see a provision for compulsory ar Z
bitration put IN the covenant. agreed I
TO the omission because he believed .
the American senate was opposed to /
50 advanced a step at this time. Be
Il said in passing that the advice Of
Col House with respect 70 the Repub-
licans has been constantly IN the di-
rection OF harmony. He Is known, .
FOR instance. TO have advocated the q
selection Of Elihu Root TO be a mem
Der OF the American mission.
Indeed, Col Houses chief Influence J
At the peace conference Is that OF .
harmonizer Of opposing views His
skill IN bringing men together and in
getting them to agree through the
timely suggestion Of compromises Is .
always commended whenever one asks .
any OF the foreign delegates for an
estimate OF the work OF Col House. +
He has paved the way for the presi- .
dent IN many a delicate situation. and
Mr.. Wilson has come 70 lean heavily .
on Col House in steering the Amer /
lean course at the peace conferences. /
Is Blunt Individual.
There is another man in the Ameri- Q
can mission who IS one Of the potent I
factors at the conference. He Is Gen. !
Tacker h Bliss. He iuclines neither I
to the Republican nor Democratic (
view OF things. He IS a blunt indi- I
HAAAaAr VINO AEAAa NLeEAAELL NH lleQu
what he thinks IN a terse but compre-
heusive manner. and he IS not OF the +
type who is so overaWed by the per
sonality OF a president as TO fail to
speak exactly what Is On his mind. /
Gen. Bliss IS spoken OF familiarly 4
among correspondents as "a two listed 4
American and he probably earned ]
his title because he keeps strictly to
what seems TO him the average Amer
leans view II IS said incidentally
that the president has come 10 regard /
Gen. BLISS Judgment on many ques-
tons as absolute.
Gen Bliss IS not merely the military
member OF the American mission He
is an indefatigable student Of Euro
pean affairs As the representative Of
president Wilson at the supreme war
council throughout the war, he deveI- B
oped his knowledge Of European prob n
lens 70 such a point that # is said he \
knows as much about many OF the !.
intricate and intimate details Of some n