Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-01-09
Favor Elastic Constitution,
With Powerful Executive
at Its Head
POSITION OF MI Z r
Expect America to Lead at
Peace Conference as in
Battle
By G.. II. PERKS
Wireless 10 Erening Public Ledger


COurtOhr. 1919, bU Pu0VC LfuOtT w.
aud NotU York Times Co.
Paris, Jan. 9.-To the surprise O
many, to the discomfort of few, TO thu
Joy of all liberals. America will coun'
as heavily in the council chamber a.
on the battlefield. Some day mer
will ask how it could be otherwise
Having said that. n Jealous Britor
may be permitted to add that this
happy change could hardly have beer
brought about without the energetic
sympathy of the British Government
and British public opinion.
Jealousy in such an affair is unim'
aginable. There is nothing but CRATE
full appreciation of the part America
has played. But England Is not in the
position of merely adopting :he Amer
lean plans either for a league Of ma
lions or for any other part of the pro-
gram of the Conference. Many unotfi.
cial committees of experts have been
engaged for more than n year. with
official encouragement, in examining
these subjects, and the chiefs of
the Whitehall departments concerned
have come to Paris with abundant in.
formation and definite plans of a far
reaching character.
The day of the blind skeptic has
gone by. II is now only reasoned crit.
icism that will carry weight. Lloyd
George is by now well known to the
french public, and his resourceful
ness throughout the war, with the de-
cisive contribution of the British fami.
~ to the Allied victory, gives him a
commanding position, his quick I'm.
agination and sympathetic insight
make him n super.diplomat. and II
will be found that he is not afraid of
challenging the old, established meth.
DDS of military power, root and branch.
It is virtually certain that from the
first the programs both OF the prelim.
mary and definite conferences will be
regarded in the light Of decisions Of
the Allies and America to establish
world trusteeship for smaller nation.
alities and a world executive 10 solve
future international differences with.
out war. This shifting of the point Of
view makes immense practical differ
ences. II does not lessen the just
claims to be made on the enemy
Sldltr. buN ~ Ni''''s
To give very briefly two out OF the
many possible Illustrations:
First. To transfer Internationally n
certain region Of near Asia from Tur.
key. or one Of the German colonies. to
one of the great Powers would be 10
transfer it by pure conquest. To
transfer it to that Power as a manda.
tory for and under the superior au.
.hority and supervision OF an inter.
national board possessed of adequate
powers would be an act of trusteeship.
Second. To demand so many hun.
dreds Of millions of payment uncon
ditionally is the old style OF indem-
nifty. To demand the same amount
along with a general scheme Of econo-
my by reduction of ornaments. backed
by all the great Powers, is TO point to
the best. and, as some think, the only
possible way of payment Il fun.
1t Is, therefore, probable 10 the point
of certainty that next weeks Confer
ence will base itself upon the declared
intention to found a league of nations
as it's owl successor to carry on per-
manently the work now begun.