The Greeneville daily sun. (Greeneville, Tenn.) 1918-1920, 1919-01-17
PEAcE coNFERENcE FuBLIcITY.

No doubt the decision of the supreme council of the
peace congress to limit information concerning the pro-
ceedings to single official communique will be criti-
czed attempt to keep the peoples in the dark
negotiations which vitality them that it is resort
to the secret diplomacy which President Wilson has
peatedly condemned It reported that French
spondent violated the confidence Of Secretary lansing
and that this incident may lead to cessation Of the con
dental relations between delegates to the peace
gress and the newspaper men,
The peoples certainly should be informed Of any decis
ion arrived at by the peace conference but is equally
certain if peace is to be speedily and securely estab
hed that the proceedings of the peace conference the
preliminary discussions and tentative proposals should be
kept secret Moreover there should be any conden
al relations between peace delegates and newspaper
correspondent under of which the delegates of
nation may throw confusion and dscord nito the dele
gates of other nations and thus Illustrate what may be
highly desirable peace measures.
The first duty of the peace conference is find peace
Nothing should be permitted to stand in the way of that
object No utterance should be published which will en-
barass the efforts of the nations agree upon
general peace Interesting as the discussions may be- and
digen the newspapers should be in printing the
it cannot be denied that immense mischief might be
ed by indiscreet, premature malicious publications
either true or false.
Secrecy is indispensable factor in the early agree
ment of the nations that the victory Germany
and her allies The disclosure of every proposal made
every side in the peace conference would be unwse
sarryng open basket of paper money in gale The
winds of would eze upon these proposals and scat
ter them broadcast beyond all hope of recovery Dis
pute would arise regarding propositions which might
be seriously entertained and these disputes might breed
such bad feeling destroy what all the delegates had
hoped to accomplish
There would not have been Constitution of the United
States if the sessions of the convention had been
ret This point passed upon By George Washington
himself who held that secrecy in preliminary and ten
atve negotiations necessary in military opera
TONS He approved of the plan for placing the negot
alton Of treaties in the hands of the executive account
of the greater expedition and secrecy that might be OBJ
aned and he also approved of secret sessions of the
Senate in considering treaties and all other relations with
foreign governments The constitutional convention de
baed this subject at length and finally adopted this
clause concerning publicity Of Congress proceedings:
Each house shall keep journal of its proceedings,
and from time to time publish the same excepting
such parts may in their judgment require secrecy.
When the Senate to consider the treaty Of peace
it will deliberate in secret Not to do so would inevitably
lead to the publication of matter discussions affecting
other governments Public discussions in the Senate
would be useless for senator's could not speak frankly
without woundng the feelings of friendly nations
Of President Wilson, in advocating "open COW
enans of peace openly arrived at" could not have meant
that the peace conference should be held on the town
meeting plan He knew that each nation would put forth
suggestions not acceptable to the others and that publ
cation of these suggestions would give rise to wild specu
latons unfounded apprehensons and unnecessary ami
mosities Covenants "arrived at" may and should be
published but projects which have not been approved
cannot be disclosed without running the risk of wreckng
the peace conference.
AS for confidential talks between peace delegates and
newspaper men, those delegates who are conscientons
striving for early peace will subordinate their converse
tiona pleasures to the general welfare They win not
yield to the temptation to reveal anything going on in
the conference.-the Washington Post.