The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1919-01-18
PEACE CONGRESS
TO BE- SECRET
Open Sessions Favored By the
Americans and British But
Others Object.
THIS DECISION RAISES
A STORM OF PROTEST
News Of Conference VIII Be
Given Out Daily in the Form
Of Official ST.. s..ement.

Press) The question of whether the
peace conference is to be secret or
wholly open 20 the eyes and ears OF
the world, the settlement of which
has been long awaited was brought to
focus today when il was announced
that al agreement had been made 30
confine the information given the pub
;ic TO q daily official communique and
that a gentleman's agreement prevail
ed among the delegates not to dis
cuss or in any way give information
Of the meetings in the foreign
flee.
No written official announcement Of
this purpose was issued, but word
was passed out to this effect, and it
was followed by an explosion Of pro-
tests which quite drowned out the
doings Of the peace commissioners.
The understanding is that the
American and British delegates op-
posed this decision but the French
Italians and Japanese voting together
prevailed.
The British newspaper correspon-
dents Immediately joined in a me-
mortal Of protest. which they put De-
fore Premier Lloyd George. The
American newspaper correspondents
united in what IS virtually round
robin to President Wilson in which
they protested in measured terms
against the d cision and reminded the
president that one Of his IA points
specifies open covenants of peace
only arrived at
Tho memorial was before the presi-
dent tonight ans. there is every reason
20 believe that such a storm has been
PRAISED th will force the question be-
! fore the meeting again before the
actual sessions of the peace confer
ence begin Saturday morning.
! The question Of whether the meet
tings are to be open or closed has been
,;sniouldering for several days. 1t is as
sociated with conditions which have
surrounded the lack of method in
making public what has actually been
going on in conference for the past
month The American newspaper cor
respondents. Of whom there are about
100 here to report the peace proceed
ings, have been received in daily au-
diEce by the American commission
ers under the stipulated conditions
that what was developed was solely
for their guidance and not to be, re-
ported as bearing the stamp of au
thority or coming from the mission.
The president himself has rarely
seen any Of the American cores
pondents and the newspaper men who
have expressed themselves at a meet
ing of the organizat: they have
formed as consideri themselves
trustees obligated to inform public
opinidfat home Of the moves which
are beng made here in Paris, have
been chafing at what they have cnar-
acterized is being kept out Of touch
with l. G fountain heads of official in
formation having been confined to
information disseminated by an Off
cal publicity agent. Meanwhile the
French newspapers and the British
newspapers having Paris editions
have been appearing each day With
inside information Of the conferences
and in some cases have actually
quoted American officials in a manner
from which the American correspon-
dents were requested to refrain.
Hitherto il has been the practice
Of the governments taking part in the
preliminary peace conversations, says
a statement given ont by the official
press bureau today to issue separate
communicates regarding the proceed
ings. From today it has been decid-
ed to issue a joint communique of
which the following is the English
text adopted by the British and Amer
lean delegations:
The president Of the United States
and the prime ministers and foreign
OF the allied powers, assist
ed by the Japanese ambassadors in
Paris and London, held two meetings
TODAY. IL the course Of these meet /:
in%s the examination Of the rules OF
ths conference has been continued
and almost completed. !
1T was decided that the United I
States, the British empire. France.
Italy and Japan should be represented
by five delegates, apiece The British
aominions and India besides. shal! be
as follows: Two dele
gates. respectively. for Australia,
Canada, South Africa and India. in
Guiding the native States. and cne
delegate for New Zealand.
Brazil will have three delegates.
Belgium. China, Greece Poland. Por
-usal. the CZecho-Slovak Republic,
2oumania and Serbia will have two
delegates apiece: Siam. one delegate,
md Cuba. Guatemala Haiti. Hondur
IS. Liberia. Nicaragna and Panama.
onc delegate apiece
Montenegro Will ~, ore dele
gate. but the rules concerning the
designation Of this deiesHte shall not ;
oe fixed until the moment when the
political situation in this country shall
lavn been cleared up.
The meeting adopted t,e following
wo general principles: }. Each dele :
;ation being unit the lumhar of {
lelesates forming it Shall have no in