New-York tribune., 1919-01-18
Newspaper Correspond.
ents Are To Be Barred
From Executive Sessions
Formal Opening OF
Congress Is To-day
Three Delegates Each for
Belgium and Serbia;
King of Hejaz Gels Two

PARIS, Jan. IT (By The Associated
ss).-The scene is set for the opon
ing of the peace congress at 3 O'Clock
tomorrow afternoon with the impress
sive ceremony beftting such ali event
fui occasion. The first details were
conclude tonight at melting of the
Supreme Council, which completed its
labors and adjourned for the inauru
ration of the larger body tomorrow.
The following official communication
dealing with tn epeace conference wa
issued this evening:
THE President of the United
States of America, the Prime Minis
ters and Foreign Ministers of the
Allied great powers, assisted by the
Japanese ambassadors in Paris and
London, met at the Quai d'Orsay to
day, in the morning from 1880 =. m.
to 1880 p. m, and in the afternoon
from p. m. to 5:3o p. NJ.
Belgium and Serbia Gcs Three
The French president of the
council read out the terms Of the
renewal of the armistice
"The meeting decided to give Be.
GUM and Serbia three delegates
each at the conference 1t was dc
cided also that the King of the
Hedjas should be represented by two
delegates. The question of the num-
ber Of delegates for the various
powers was thus finally established.
"The programme for the opening
conference, which will take place al
the Foreign Office tomorrow at s
O'Clock in the afternoon, was after
wards arranged.
The meeting finally examined into
the question of the publicity to be
given to the discussions cf the CON
ference and unanimously approved
the following text to be handed to the
press in the name Of the FIVE great
poyers.
Against Open Sessions
The representatives. cf the Al
lied and associated powers have
given earnest consideration to the
question of publicity for the proceed
ings of the peace conference. They
are anxious that the pubic through
the press should have the fullest in
formation compatible with the safe
guarding OF the supreme interest Of
all, which is that just and honor
able settlement should be arrived at
with the minimum of delay.
1T is, however, obvious that pub
lcity with regard to the preliminary
conversations now proceeding must
be subject to the limitations neccs-
sarlly imposed by the difficult and
delicate nature of their object. The
proceedings of a peace conference
are far more analogous to the meet
ings Of Cabinet than to those of
Legislature. Nobody has ever sug-
gested that Cabinet meetings should
be held in public, and if they were
so held the work of government
would become impossible.
Only Conclusions To Be Public
"'One reason why Cabinets arc
held in private is in order that dif
ferences may be reconciled and
agreements reached before the stage
Of publicity is begun. The essence
Of the democratic method is nc
that the deliberations of a govern
ment be conducted in public, but
that its conclusions be subject to
the consideration of popular cham
Der and to free and open discus
sion on the platform and by the
press.
representatives of the Allied
and associated powers are holding
conversations in order to solve oues-
tions which affect the vital interests
OF many nations and upon which
they may at present hold many di-
verse views. These deliberations
cannot proceed by the method of
majority vote. No nation can he
committed except By thief rec vote
of its own delegates. The conclu.
sions arrived at in these consy;Su-
uons, therefore. can only be formed
by the difficult process Of reaching
an agreement among all.
srfsa
This vital process would only be
nindered If tie discussian of every
disputed question were open bv
public declaration by each dsIssa-