New-York tribune., 1919-01-17
Both Britain and France,
However, Have Completed
Drafts for World Society
By Frederick Moore
Neao Yorc Tribune
Special Gable .Seryicc

Spectdt Cable Service
tCop7isht 1919, New York Tribune Incl
PARIS, Jan. ia strange situation
has arisen in the fact that Great
Britain and France have arrived at the
peace conference table with completed
tentative proposals for league of ma
tlons and with delegates chosen to rep
resent each of them, while America.
after two years of talk about such a
league, has entered the conference
without either drafted plan or a
CHOSEN delegate to represent it.
Lord Robert Cecil, who represents
Great Britain, will discuss his plans
Tor league at any time with other
statesmen or for publication with the
utmost freedom, and the same is the
case with Leon Bourgeois, president
of the French Society for League Of
Nations, who will be Frances special
lst on the subject. But from no mem
Der of the American commission can
one ascertain definitely even whether
President Wilson has committed his
ideas to paper.
Not Man for Detail
President Wilson's supporters have
often said that he is not man of de-
tail, and they are saying this now in
explanation of the fact that though
he has had in hand definite British
end definite French programmes for
more than two months he has not yet
produced one of his own.
Even the members of the Presidents
own commission do not seem to know
his concrete thoughts on the subject.
For the last week various correspond
ents have been inquring at the Place
de la Concorde, the headquarters of
the American commission, what Mr..
Wilson's plan is and. high or low, no
American attache could tell u.s.
One Presidential supporter says:
"He hasn't told US yet; he is wise not
to tell until he knows what others
plans are"
Another said: Colonel Houses sec
retary tells me the President has
pian. Stlll another evadeS the question
Americans Drafting Plan
The American commission is now
working on plan, however, and if my
deduction is correct it is doing so at
this last minute to avoid what has been
pointed out to it as the strange situa-
tion Of the President, who IS the great
est exponent of league of nations,
appearing at the first full conference
en Saturday, having announced that the
league is the first issue of the Amer
lean delegation and having nothing ex-
cept his "broad principles" and those
not upon paper.
Premier Clemenceau promised to
Leon Bourgeois to propose to the Al
lied representatives, Immediately after
the conference assemblies, .he appoint
ment of committee to investigate the
subject OF a league.
The American commission has be-
fore it by actual count thirty seven
plans drafted by various men and
groups of men for a league of nations,
but | believe that am right in saying
that not one has been sanctioned. even
as a tentative plan to be offered 10
the Allies as basis for discussion.
The American commission admits that
America must make a concrete proposal
at the conference and, suppose, will
devise one in time.
Ray Stannard Baker. who is in charge
of the commissions press bureau, toek
the matter to President Wilson again
recently and the latter gave instruc-
ticns that the commission should COM
municate information more freely. but
whether it can or will do so remains
to be seen.