Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-06-11
THE PEACE TREATY "LEAK"

1t is inaccurate to call the means whereby copies of
the peace treaty with. Germany came into the possession
OF private and unofficial persons a leak. If we fill a barrel
and head it up, and the contents escape through holes
and crevices which were not supposed to be there, and
which were not intended to be there, we say that the
barrel leaks. But if we fill the barrel, and leave of the
head, so that the contents are accessible to all corners,
il persons help themselves to the contents we do not
ascribe the disappearance of the contents to a leak. The
latter description fits more accurately the case Of the
peace treaty.
Just why SO much mystery should have been made
of the official text Of the treaty is itself a mystery. pro-
found and seemingly unfathomable. Until the presenta-
ton Of the text to the German ENJOYS the treaty was
in a state of flux. 1t was being changed from day to
day, and, while the salient features were made known
to the world, anything in the nature of formal publica-
ton would have been futile. because until the document
had assumed something Of what was intended to be its
permanent form, the text OF today would have had to
be revised each night for publication tomorrow.
The treaty as presented to the Germans did not nee
essarily embody its final form, for changes were still pos,
sible and probable. But the presentation of the treaty
as it stood marked a certain definite stage in the pro-
ceedings. This was recognized by the publication to the
whole world, under the official authority Of the peace
conference, of what was officially described as a sum-
mary of the provisions Of the treaty. Uuless it was in
tended that this summary should be an accurate one its
publication was worse than useless. The only magma
BILE reason for the publication of a summary rather than
of the entire text was because of the great length of the
latter, some $4,000 words. The summary contained
approximately $1,000 words. Assuming that the sum.
mary was accurate, as it should have been, and as il
seems to have been, there remained no reason why the
entire text should not be available to all who chose tc
ask for it.
There was a very valid reason why the treaty should
not have been submitted officially to the senate at tina,
time. That reason is pointed out in the presidents re.
cent cablegram. 1t is that the treaty is still subject t
change by the persons who framed it. The treaty will
be ready for action by our senate when it has been signed
by Germany, and not until then. Certain modification.
in the provisions have already been agreed on since TIL
would have been in a position either to ratify or rejec
when its action might be rendered unavailing by subse
auent changes. -
But the treaty was in effect made public propert!
through the official publication of the summary. Their.
was no reason why the full text should not have beer
available for examination by anyone who wanted it,
public. Copies were necessarily in the hands Of a yer.
large number of people in Paris. German translation
have been made and circulated freely, a matter owe
which the conference has no control. Hence the wonde
is. not that the treaty should have become public, blu
that anyone should have supposed that it would not.