Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-01-08
WORK ON PEACE
PLANS TO BEGIN
now IN EARNEST
President Wilson in Paris
Ready for Conferences; Ex-
D." changes Begun Regarding
League Of Nations.

Paris, Jan. 7.-President Wilson
has completed his swing through
England and Italy, returning to
Paris at 10 o'clock this morning.
He was accompanied by Mrs. Will
son and Miss Margaret Wilson.
The pHesident is ready for the
first gathering Of. the premiers and
statesmen of the entente powers,
and the informal conferences will
begin on Thursday or Friday.
The first conferences will be in
the nature of informal exchanges OF
views by the various groups having
common interests. These will then
be condensed and reduced to mem
oranda, which the interested nations
will sign and pass to the peace con-
ference to be incorporated, if salts
factory in the final terms.
1t is believed that by this method
the great powers can avoid calling
in the representatives of neutral
states and nominal belligerents when
their interests are discussed.
Undes the present scheme the rep
tesentatives of neutral, states and the
smaller belligerents will first meet
the representatives. of the powers
with whom they have questions
pending, with the object of settling
them. while the others will be free
to, confer with those with whom
they have interests. The confer
ences will concern principally local
questions. 1t will be a process OF
elimination which is expected to re,
dee greatly the detailed work OF
the general conference.
Basis for League Settled.
. As far as it has been developed
the general scheme for a league OF
nations agrees with previous fore
casts. 1t is learned that the United
States, Great Britain, France, Italy
and Japan will form the nucleus and
will declare that the league will
preserve the peace of the world and
Justice to all. An arbitral court
will be created and it will be backed
by the combined force of all.
The central powers and neutral
nations, it is added, will be taken
in as probationers as they demon
strate that theyare a self-governlne
people and give evidence of good
faith to abide BY the decisions OF
the league.
The return to Paris of President
Wilson. the arrival of Lord Robert
Cecil, the special delegate Of the
British government on the league OF
nations. and the presence here OF
Leon Bourgeois, the French repre-
sentative on the same subject
marked the Inauguration of ex-
changes on the definite terms by
which the league is to be constr
tuted
Already considerable progress has
been made on the various tentative
proposals put forward, but in the
recent absence of the president
these have not taken definite form
as it is recognized that he person
ally will take leading part in the
final formulation of the plan. Mean
while, however, the various govern
ments chiefly interested are pre-
scnting outlines in quite definite
form.
Two British plans of this tenta.
tive nature have been presented
one oy Lord Robert Cecil, the other
by Lieut.. Gen. J. c. Smuts, of the
war cabinet.
Both of these plans are receiving
careful. study by the American
authorities and it is declared botf
are regarded in a most favorable
light, though it still remains to re-
duce the general principles to con-
crete terms.
NJ. Bourgeois plan, embodyine
the French point of view, while gen
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