The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1919-03-06
FRENCH RECOGNIZE
The POLISH NATION
The Diet Receives Official No
tice of Admission to DipIO-
matte Status.
WILL RUSH THE PEACE TREATY
Great Powers Vote to Prepare PreIimi.
nary Draft Before Return Of
President Wilson.

WARSAW L cd ZO---M- lEOnpcEnSk1s
marshal of the diet. today read a tele-
gram from Stephen Pichon, French
foreign minister, which NJ NOulens,
former French ambassador to Russia,
transmitted to Premier Paderewski,
officially recognizing Poland as an in
dependent sovereign state
The Polish foreign office has re-
ceived a telegram from Lemberg say
ing that an agreement was reached
there on Sunday for the cessation of
hostilities between the Poles and the
Ukrainians, beginning at O'Clock on
Monday evening The agreement can
be denounced by either party on
twelve hours notice.
Truce for Four Days.
The truce, arranged for four days.
may lead to an armistice, although not
much hope seems to be felt by the In
ter-AIlied section of the mission at
Lemberg. The great difficulty appaT-
emily is that both the Poles and Tx
rainians appear to desire lines fixed as
if they were to be permanent, where
as the mission is proposing merely the
drawing of lines which. shall stand IN
til the peace conference definitely
settles them. The Ukrainians are
anxious to keep the oil wells working,
since from the sale of oil they are re-
ceiving war funds The Ukrainians
insist also on holding territory up to
the River San, which affords them the
possibility of reaching Slovakia.
1t is apparent that the Inter-AIlied
mission will be delayed in Warsaw for
several weeks 1t is difficult to i'm
press on anybody in these countries
that the building up of armies merely
breeds new warfare, according to
statements made by members OF the
mission, whereas the United States
viewpoint is that an end should be
made to fighting everywhere for
boundaries until these boundaries are
fixed by the peace conference.
To Hear Jewish Claims.
The mission is to go to Posen short
Iy to investigate charges that the Ger
mans are unwilling to abide by the
armistice zone decree and also aIlega-
tons by the Poles that the Germans
are burning and pillaging villages.
To Rush Peace Treaty.
Paris, Feb. 24.-ResuIts of far reach
ing character were obtained at the
meeting of the council of the great
powers today when resolutions were
adopted requiring speeding up of all
important branches of the work of the
Peace Conference as to permit the for
mutation of preliminary peace treaty
by the time President Wilson returns
to Paris in the middle Of March. To
accomplish this tie commissions deal
ing with the big questions of repara-
ton, boundaries, economic and finan-
cial issues must report to the supreme
council within the next two weeks, or
by March at the latest. These re-
ports, in turn, will form a basis for
the drafting of the treaty.
An extensive program has been
carefully matured within the last few
days, and it was brought to a culmina-
ton this afternoon when A. J. Bal
four, British foreign secretary, and
Col. E. NJ. House of the American dele
CATION called on Premier Clemenceau
in his sick room shortly before the
council convened. Each found the
wounded statesman dressed and sit
ting up, keenly alert concerning the
work of the conference and fully
agreed on the plan for rapid accelera-
ton Of work on all subjects.
Program Ratified by Council.
This brought together the British,
American and French viewpoints for
a rapid course of action assuring the
earliest possible peace Shortly after
ward the supreme council met and
ratified the program The official
statement, issued after the meeting,
announced:
1.-The meeting decided on proper
steps to be taken in order to accelerate
as much as possible the labOrs Of the
conference"
J. Back OF this formal announcement
! is the speeding up of the plan, which
now goes into effect, for an early
drafting of the peace treaty The
/ main feature is to embody all sub
! jects, both nOnmilitary and military,
( in the preliminary peace soon to be
/ framed, and to have this broad general
document take the place of a separate
/ military treaty for disarmament which
I had been prepared by the supreme war
/ council under the direction Of Marshal
/ Foch, who was to present it within
/ the next few days.