New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1919-02-28
DELIBERATIONS At
PARIS HIDDEN BY
VEIL OF SECRECY
AIR IS FULL OF RUMORS
TIME FOR PLAIN SPEAK.
ING, PEOPLE HAVE RIGHT
TO KNOW WHAT IS GOING
ON

-, -,
new fork-George w. Wicker
sham' attorney-general during the
administration OF President Taft. is
representing the New York Tribune
al the Faris peace conference. In
an article copyrighted by that paper,
MI w chersham comments in part,
as follows. upon the restrictions
"h'ch have been placed upon the
pr s. representatives at Paris:
returning to Paris after an alb
Sehce OF i've days, spent in Wis ting
some OF the battleiields in Eastern
france l find the absorbing topic of
conversation mere IS the very last
tnat naturally would have been an
! tcipated, namely, whether the world
whose future destinics it is proposed
70 settle al the conference of powers
IS to be allowed to know what deter
mnations have been reached before
! II is 100 late to make an effective
protest
he f'rst decision OF the confer
chce; mat no press correspondents
.hon'd be present at its sessions and
mat no information OF its proceed
'nes should be gwen out except in
oft'cialiy prepared da 'ly commnni
queS was SO amazingly in violation
oi public sentiment that i. was quick
~ W thdrawn in the face of the una
n'Inous prot OF assembled Amer
can and English press c"rrcspon-
dents.
! Confidence In Wilson Shaken
/ That MIR. Wilson should have con-
cured IN the proposed regulation
mas shaken confidence IN HIM, even
on the part OF those who have belev-
ed IN the sincerity OF his program
me II there was one principle which
ne mas emphaS zed more than any
other, 1t was the embodiment in the
irst article OF his famous fourteen
points and repeated in varying form
in n later addresses dealing with
conditions OF peace.
"A great war into which every
great power and many small powers
have been drawn has come to an end
and the co-belligerents are meeting
70 Diet orn'ne the conditions OF peace
they. shall impose upon the van-
pushed. They propose more; they
propose TO reorganize the world so
as 70 reduce to MINIMUM the pos
sibilities OF renewed war.
10 this end President wilson fort
mulated certain principles whtch
have been accepted alike by van
quisned ana Victors as those where
upon the agreement among nations
shaH be base.
These final open covenants OF
peace. so President Wilson declared.
must be arrived at openly, not tram-
ed in secret sessions by four or five
statesmen. and then submitted in
complete torn to be taken by the
| peoples affected, subject to only one
alternative, namely, to reject the en-
tire agreement,
Why Wilson Went To Paris
Mr.: Wilson stated to congress IN
his address on December that 1t
was MS paramount dity TO go TO
{ Paris IN order that the Allied govern
ments wh'ch mad accepted the bases
OF peace outlined to Congress on
Jan .. l9l8 the fourteen points,.
might have the benefit ot his person.
al counsel IN their interpretation
and application.
1T is an amazing circumstance
that the very tlrst act OF the con-
ference was to violate, with Mr.. Will
sons consent, the firSt article or
those points, and to propose to reach
covenants OF peace" by secret con-
ference.
Mr.. Wilson. in his speech OF Sep
tember q, alter emphasizing his
views as 10 bases OF lasting peace
and analyzing the Internal onal Situa-
tion, stated that he did 50 not be
cause : dorb'ed whether leaders OF
the great nations and the people
with whom we are associated were
Of the same mind and entertained
like purpose. but because the air
every now and then gets darkened
bv mists and groundless doubtinCS
and niSchievous perversions OF oorn.
sci, and it is necessary one and
again to sweep all irresponsible talk
about peace intriaaeS and weakening
morale doubtful PURPOSES on the part
OF those in authority utterly and II
need be unceremoniously aside. and
say things in the plainest words that
can be found. even when 1t Is only
10 say over again what has beer
said before quite As plainly, II i'll less
unvarnished terms"
Time for Plain Words Has Arrived
"Such time is now here. The air
< full of rfimorS OF international