The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1919-03-29
DIPLOMATS ARE
STILL IGNORANT
ON NEWS Value
ENJOYS Do NOT Realize Worth
Of Publicity, .
b. n. WickhAm Stced.


iiordou TImsp ranfr Copyright, lplV, nv
NE Public Ledger Company
PNRlS March D.--1hc situation
within the peace conference Itself has
talen a distinct turn for the better ~
,hc lat few days. The realization,
after the p,iiul proceedings OF the
C.uucil of Ten last Wednesday and
Friday tina, something must be done,
ha, led to adoption OF a method OF
procedure which should quickly yield
more positive results than the method
hitherto followed.
But there is a public and outside
situation in regard TO the conference
which cannot be altogether discovered
b from lis inside situation. A glance at
the Paris press shows the public stu
alton is BY no means Satisfactory and
IN poin, OF fact Il never has oeen quit.
satisfactory, owing to the failure OF
the conference ieadeS to understand
the value of publicity While it is
comprehensive fiat politicians so i'll
prepared for the task suddenly thrust
upon them as tho chief allied delegates
undoubtedly were, should not have
wished their blundcy and chickering's
10 be daily recorded by the press OF
the world. But it is another thing 30
consider, as they preferred TO do, the
press as an. .unmitigated nuisance, rep
resented BY prying iIdividuab, whose
sole object was to purvey . catchpenny
pabulum Of a tasty sort 10 4 public
afflicted by unhealthy curiosity.
Worst Was Avoided.
Thanks in part 10 vigorous action by
representatives Of the press at the out.
set. the worst consequences OF this
shortsighted attitude were averted.
But the tendency has remained. With
some noticeable exceptions, the arrange
cn,s made for the information OF the
press have been unintelligent and un-
satisfactory. Even thus, public inter.
est and trust in the conference might
perhaps have been preserved, had the
leaders of the conference understood
,ha, what their peoples really desired
was the news OF rapid progress toward
sound peace drawn on big, ineligible
lines. apd had they bestirred them.
~lvcs to provide such news In the way
in which il could be provided-by
using every effort to make a sound
peace irrespective of their personal
ambitions or tenorlike susceptibili,ies
But as they have failed progressive.
ly IN this respect, just A. they had
failed in regard to publicity ~ their
best friend. and not an insidious en-
emy they gradual lly got into . state ol
mind which caused them to consider
every divuls69lon Of any fact they
would fsin have hidden as q sort u
Insult to majesty
Where all offended a. various times
i, would be insidious to single out any
social offender. Our latest illustra.
ton, however. OF the collective folly
that has seemed at times 10 overtakc
the members bf the Council Of Ter
may be mentioned. Il
Lloyd Georges "Bonss."
Friday evening, after Mr.. Ilyod
George bad CONCLUDED his ti,ne-wast-
ing Intervention IN the Polish settle
mcnt, he suddenly delivered a diatribe
against sundry French newspapers
that had been guilty OF critlsising hi,
attitude As a scli-constituted authorit,
on Polish affairs.
He practically reprQashed some per
sons present with xiliful indiseretior
and trotted oot the bad old tbreat ol
having the peace conference moved tc
n neutral country and ended by de-
manding an official inquiry into th,
origin Of the indiscretio6s committed
and some kind OF disciplinary meas.
ures against the Journalistic response
Bile for printing them~'
II there be one question that ha.
been publicly threyhed out in France
during recent months, Il Is the ques
ton of Poland. II (here has been on,
question which the Council Of Ten hal
steadily declined to face in any psacti
cal fashion 1t has been the questio,
of reinforcing Poland against III,
bolshevist menace. II there wer'
questions on which the decision
Of the Council Of Ten was saferl,
awsitins--secing that the expert com
mission on Poland, including distin
guished members Of the British del
egation was unanimous--they wes,
those OF the western frontiers Of Pc
land And the transport 10 Poland di
visions from France.
Under these circumstances Il VA
inevitable that the cause Of the dnex
pected delay in settling the question
should become Immediately know
and, being known, should be pubIicl.
announced. Yet, Premier Lloy,
George seemed 10 imagine that his IN
terveniion could b. kept secret an,
worked himself intos fine fury sains
the French press when hi was an
deceived.