Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-01-23
Resent the Control of
Peace Conference by
Five Great Powers
RUMBLE OF DISCONTENT
Curiosity Expressed as TO Why
Japan Was Quietly Added
to big Four"
By CHARLES A. SELDEN
Wireless to Erening Public Ledger
COPYRIGHT. 1919, By Public LEDGER Co.
and Nc,U York Times Co.


Paris, Jan. 23.-There Is already con.
siderable rumbling OF discomfort
among the representatives of the
small nations at the Peace Conference,
because of what they consider the too
great predominance of the Ave big
Powers in the plan to arrange all ques.
tions before they are submitted TO the
full conference for final decision. It
Is assumed that this final decision will
be necessarily a mere perfunctory ap.
proval by the other nations of what
America, England. France. Italy and
Japan have already determined upon
and that any attempt TO do anything
but approve will be futile. Incident.
ally there is some curiosity as TO who
is dominating. what suddenly became
the big Five" instead of the Big
Four"
At the outset of the preliminaries
It was only America. France. England
and Italy that counted; and then, with.
out explanation, Japan gets added to
the list of the big Powers. This fact
has added much to the resentment OF
some of the small nations who suffered
most from the war and who took
far more active part in the war. The
objection on the part of the small
nations, oppressed" and otherwise, is
to the principle OF the thing. None
of them contends that every question
could or should be thrashed out in a
full meeting of the more than sixty
delegates of all the nations: but those
who are dissatisfied with the present
plan believe there should be some mid
die ground, and incidentally there is
some revival of talk concerning the
rights and equality of small nations,
Representation Readjusted
Some feeling of this sort was shown
Just before the opening Of the con.
ference. when Belgium and Serbia
were credited with only two delegates
each, and in spite of their war suffer.
ings put in the same category with
Siam That was remedied by their
getting three each, but not until after
three had been allotted to Brazil. upon
the insistence of the United States.
because Brazil is the largest South
American nation participating in the
conference.
But that is another detail. The real
complaint of the small nations does
not touch so much upon the numerical
strength of their delegations. as upon
the plan OF the five big Powers 10
keep them out of the most vital dis
cussion at which the real decisions
will be reached.
As already intimated. they think
there should be a middle ground con.
sidered an elastic committee system
by which any small nation or group
of small nations would have full
equality with the big ones in deciding
each question which directly con-
cerned il or them. For example, the
investigation of the Russian question
which is being made by the Big Five"
preliminary 10 arriving at most vital
conclusion is being cited as an Illus
tration of the eXclusiveness that ought
not to be.
RumanIa Nitally Interested
.Rumania borders on Russia, and
therefore, is vitally interested in what
happens to and IN the latter country.
nut she had no part in the discussion.
There is not much love for Rumania,
as a matter Of fact, by the other small
countries but as a matter of principle
they declare she should be considered in
all matters pertaining TO the State across
her own borders.
Another illustration, which is given
by those who object to placing the en-
tire work Of remakirg the world in the
hands of the men who are the Preners
or Foreign Ministers Of the five Couu-
tries, is the AdriatiC sea question That
involves dispute full Of war possibil-
ties between italy and Serbia Each
Of these two countries is fully as much
concerned as the other, hut under the
present arrangement Italy will have
a place at the table when the matter is
decided, while Serbia will be- outside, or,
at best as a witness.
Another question for the conference 20
decide Is that Of the rights OF Holland
and Belgium in the use Of the river
Scheldt Although they are rated as
small nations, Holland and Belgium feel
thev should have as much 70 say in
this matter as Japan and Italy, for eN-
ample.