Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-01-21

lie had been to the American consulate
about permission and vses You can't
turn around in Europe without consulting
the police ard three or four other authori-
ties, If we would all go in a body TO the
American consul, he might help us.
FNHERE was an interruption Of this in
effectual flow. Some one sad Il think
Mr. Vile has communication to make"
Mr.. Vile is one Of Lord Northcliffe's men.
He said Speaking for the British Gov
ernment" - Lord Northciffe's men all
speak for the British Government; even
the office boys in Threadneedle street speak
with voices that sound at least as II they
came with all the authority of the minis
teIia bench - speaking for the British
Government ! desire to say that that gov
ernment wishes you all to be its guests
during tie Presidents trips. Trains and
hote.s will be provided. II you will all turn
in your passports, we will get the necessary
vises and permits Everything will be done
for you by the British Government"
rTNHE American liaison officer gasped. The
British had walked into the meeting
where the details OF publicity for the
American trip were being arranged and had
made off with the American press before
the eyes of the American officials. Was it
Northcliffe, the most American English
man. who had done this thing? Or was
IL England, the country which you dis
cover in Paris although it is not yet here?
If the British show the same swiftness
and address at the coming conference that
| they showed on this occasion, who will run
| away with the Peace Conference?
ardag E,,,1 L.. Of
| the present writing when the preiminaries
were to take place which would settle
everything, Is the Peace Conference.
| Where is It? What is 1t? When the news
| paper correspondents arrived, they spent
the first few days, meaning that they were
| lost that the Peace Conference was lost.
| They could find nothing. They looked anx.
| iously at the high hedge which surrounds
| the mansion where President Wilson lives
! and almost hides it from view. But hedges
in Paris tell nothing The press here has
| not established Its relations with hedges
and blank walls. The correspondents beat
their breasts. Then the truth gradually
came to them. President Wilson himself
had not found the Peace conference. Some
put it that he reached the ball park before
the game was called. He had talked, It is
true. to Mr.. Clemenceau and Signor Or
lando. but it became evident that these
talks had settled nothing and got nowhere
II was a talk between the earnest exponent
Of modern ideas and two polite diplomats
of the old school.
1t came out that Mr.. Wilson thought he
was losing time. He to be gone from
America only six weeks, and 1t was rapidly
becoming apparent this time would be up
before anything real had been accomplished.
People warn you when you come to Paris
| that you cannot hurry Paris. The more
| you try to hurry Paris the less speed you
make. And YOU cannot curry European
diplomacy. Even the greatest leader of
today, the one international figure in the
world cannot hurry European diplomacy.
president WILSON had been in a
l. hurry. He had come over here without
first finding out how his coming would suit
the convenience Of European diplomacy
Most OF us in America had felt that where
President Wilson was there was the Peace
Conference; but ii was not so. Where
President Wilson is, there l., the hope OF
the future, the respect of all the ordinary
people of Europe, the modern worlds pas
sionate longing for peace. There Is mora
force, political ideals but not the Peace
! | Conference
DERHAPS the Peace Conference tool
l. place in England before Mr.. Wilson.
across the Channel TO see Mr.. Lloyd George
, . Perhaps it will take place in Paris whei
I ! Mr.. Lloyd George confers with Presiden
1 Wilson. But certainly the President
coming here did not set things in motion
II he expected that il would do so, he wa
mistaken. The President is having a
hard time finding the peace are tn
s correspondents.
WHEN the President arrived he brouGh
w two stenographers with him and in
. stantly in day almost, there We're tw
I bushels Of letters 10 be answered, At one
= George Creel 10 the rescue. In his inter
d View with the newspaper correspondent
y the day after his arrival, Mr.. Creel cor
. fded 70 the world that he was going
. | bring order out of chaos. II is a grea
delight to think OF Mr.. Creel bringing orde
u out OF chaos. | yield TO no one in my at
Il mlraton of Mr.. Creel's force, courage, il
dustry, honesty; but chao; and Geore
Cree are old acquaintances. Where Gre
Il is there is tumult, passion, energy di
= persng itself in a hundred directions
=, once. There is ardor certainly, but no orde
, And Mr. George Creel is a rather typic
figure as close to the President as any OF
here What have we got here, internj
t!onal ardor or international order?
lie NNE hears much from day TO day Of @
VI " ganzatun, just one used 70 hei
II much Of organization in Washington. II
r favorite word here is likely 10 be soon C
IL ordination. The United States Governme
ts in Paris is several hotels full OF peop
and loads Of archives, under which Par
groans and al which the French press cri
out in protest as new example of inte
OF national bureaucracy, The commiss
10 meets daily to organize its forces, SOC
n doubtless, there will be big chart biz
ed print dividing all the advisers here and
he arrive according To functions, and maki
the vast funds OF information collected
Colonel House available, Order will ha
come out Of chaos Ardor will have
re come order Mr. George Creel will emer