Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-01-27
.ENvOYSHAvE
FATE OF FOE
COLONIES UP
Return of Land to Ger
many Opposed-Peace
Terms Ready Soon?

Paris. Jan. 27.-The supreme
council of the peace conference
met at l0:30 O'Clock this morning.
There was a full attendance of the
members.
j A number of technical advisers
on colonial matters, including
three Americans, accompanied the
various delegations as they entered
the foreign Office for the days ses-
/ sion.
One of the questions. which it
was, expected the supreme council
would take up today was the ultl-
mate fate of the German colonies.
! Oppose Return OF Colonies.
| France and Great Britain. it is
! declared, are agreed upon at least
one feature of the solution of the
problem, which is that under no
| consideration shall the colonies re-
vert to Germany. The reasons ad-
vanced for such a decisio' are var
iOus, but prominent among them Is
| that it would render it impossible
1 for Germany to establish submar
| inc bases in her colonial posses
sions. The American attitude is
as yet unrevealed
A prominent official declared to
The Associated Press today that
should the Franco-BritIsh view
point prevail, the German Kane
run would be taken over by the
French in accordance with an
agreement reached by Great Brit
ain and France.
Belgium Has Claim.
Belgium lays claim to that part
of the Congo which she conquered
by force of arms, the Belgian
troops having captured Tabora and
the Teyleying by the western
slopes of Lake Victoria Nyanza.
The Belgians also desire a strip
OF territory along the left bank of
the Congo, the delimitatiOn, of
course. to be settled amicably with
Portugal, territorial compensation
being given the latter.
The Council of Ten. as the
French now call the ministers of
the five great powers, has before it
for consideration today in eXecu-
tive session among other things
the questions of territorial adjust
ments. the abolition OF cOnsCrip-
ton and the economic re-construc- !
tion of Germany. These questions. I
in accordance with -he settled
method of procedure, will be re-
ferred by the council ID suitable I
commissions.
Peace Terms Ready By March! |
There appears every prospect |
that the peace conference will |
make rapid progress from now on |
with the work of fixing he peace |
terms for Germany. as the confer |
ence appears to have gotten into .
its stride. A high French dipIo- /
matte authority is quoted by the /
Paris edition of the London Daily
Mail as estimating that the con-
ference will have the peace terms
ready for submission for ratifica-
tion by the various national gov
ernments between the middle and /
the end of March. If this il ac- /
complished, the German delegates
will be summoned to Paris early
in April for the conclusion of the
peace.
Small Powers to Name Men.
The delegates of the small pow
ers will meet at the foreign office
this afternoon to choose their rep
resentatiye to sit on the commits
sions provided for in the resOlu-
tions adopted by the peace con-
gress on Saturday. Ii was under
stood this morning that the powers
had undertaken to reconsider the
decision that the small powers
shall have between them only five
members on these commissions
Without waiting for a decision on
this question, however. The COM
mission will get to work at once.
Adopt League Plan.
Saturday the conference unan-
adopted the league of ma
tons project. President Wilson
and Colonel House are rhe Amer
lean members of the commission
thereon.
The delegates of the great pow
ars on the league of nations will
be:
For the United States s-Presi-
lent Wilson and Colonel Edward
NJ. House.
For Great Britain-Lord Robert
Cecil and General Jan Christian
Smuts.
For France - Leon Bourgeois
and Ferdinand Larnaude, dean OF
he faculty of law of the Univer-
sity of Paris.
For Italy-Premier Orlando and /
VittOrio Scialeta.
For Japan-Viscount Chinda and
<. Ochiai.
The delegates of the small ma
ions will be announced later.