Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-05-07
CONFERENCE HAS
SAFELY |;']E'l| PASSED
OVER OBSTACLES
First Act WAS to Elect
Clemenceau>C Chairman
of Conference

. At .nH- /
The treaty handed to the Germans
today is the result of the work of the
representatives Of the Allied and as
ISOLATED powers arrayed against Ger
many who convened officially January
18. The, time between the armistice
November II and, January 18 was
occupied in preparing claims and re-
ports n in the selection of delegates
and in their travel to Paris.
President Wilson and the American
cember a, 1918. and when the presi-
dent set foot al Brest December 10
was the first American president
to visit Europe while in office.
The first act Of the peace confer
ence at it's meeting January 18 was
to elect George Clemenceau, premier
of France, as chairman. January 21
that all Russian factions meet on the
Itinces Islands to discuss the Russian
situation. Nothing ever came of the
proposal. Three days later the o n
ference ordered fighting over dis
puted territory to a
The plan for a league of nations
was ~concurred in by the conference
January "a and a committee was p
pointed to draw up a covenant. Dis
cussion in the supreme council which
included two representatives from
Great Britain, France, Italy, Japan
and the United States, then turned to
the form of the future government Of
territory freed from enemy rule and
January 80 the conference accepted
and backward nations.
The League Of Nations commission
February fourtSSnth reported the
covenant. President Wilson left Brest
February IS, arriving at Boston Feb
ruary "a, and. after explaining the
league covenant and making several
speeches, started on his return to
! March 13. Meanwhile the work of
the council of, ten had continued ex-
cept for the interruption incident t6
the attempt to assassinate Premier
Clemenceau February 10.
The various commissions Of the
conference continued. their labors un-
interruptedly. To speed up the work.
broken up into two bodies, a council
of four n a council of foreign min
listers. The council of four was COM
posed of Premiers Orlando, Clemen-
ceau, Lloyd George and President
Wilson.
the report Of the International labor
legislation committee and April IA
the .reparation demands to be made
on Germany were announced. On
April 16 the Germans were invited to
send delegates to receive the treaty.
With the German treaty near COM
pletion the question Of Italy's claims
in the Adriatic came to the front.
President Wilson April 90 issued a
statement that Fiume could not be-
long to Italy. The Italian delegation
announced its intention Of leaving
Paris and April "a Premier Orlando
started for Rome. Scarcely had he
departed than the vanguard of the
German delegation reached Versailles
April rs, to be followed April 80 by
the principal delegates.
In the absence of the Italian dele
gates the conference April 28 adopted
the revised covenant Of the League of
Nations. Geneva was selected as the
seat of the league and Sir Eric Drum
mond of Great Britain was made first
secret4ry-general.
On April 80 the council of three
reached an agreement or the ques-
ton of Shantung which gave the ter
ritory to the Japanese. who are to
turn it over later to the Chinese.
The first meeting with the Germans
took place May 1, when credentials
were exchanged.
Monday it was announced that
Premier Orlando and the other italian
delegates were returning to. Paris in
time for the handing of the peace
treaty to the