Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-01-25
Agreed to Compromise Sug.
gested by Wilson to Pre-.
serve Harmony
ENGLAND PRIME MOVER
Statesman Declares Preserva.
ton Among Allies Was
Important Achievement
By CHARLES A. SELDEN
Wireless TO Evening Public Ledger
copyright. 1870. BY Public Ledger GO.

f0pUrtDNf. f9lN, Op PhOilC IcuDeF 70,
and ECtr York Times Go.
Paris. Jan. 25.-There are several
sufficiently nccur','e ways Of charac-
terizing the agreement of America and
the Allied Powers to receive represen-
tatives OF all the Russian groups, in.
Guiding the Bolsheviki, at the Princes
Islands conference. 1t Is C,
in Paris a diplomatic defeat of France
by England, with America acting as
umpire.
But n better way, perhaps, is to
sneak of II as a compromise of all
the Powers concerned to arrive at
harmonious settlement oc the first
serious difference that has actually
come 10 a head since the formal open.
ing Of the conference. 1t is better to
look at il in that way. because. after
ALI, this is a Peace Conference. and to
sneak of defeat and victory" i'm
niles tha' there has been fighting.
And fighting among themselves is dis
tinct,v what the delegates do not want.
especially in these days of prelimi-
naries. For, big as the Russian Ques.
tion may he by itself. much greater
issues are TO come, which Will call FOR
even greater concessions or compro-
misses than that whlcn France has
lust made in consentinR TO this con-
ference after that emphatic Pichon
note declaring that under no circum-
stances would France deal with the
Bolsheviki as requested by Lloyd
George.
incidentally, this might be called
the third case in which France has
Welded to America for the sake of
harmony. Filet, there was her con-
senting to bring the leagu. OF nations
matter before the first part Of the
conference instead of leaving it to the
last. Then came the readjustment as
20 the representatives of small nations.
and now the unbelievable has actually
hapDenel in the Russian question.
"The main thing to keep in mind"
said n French statesman to me today.
"is that the union of the Allies and
America has been preserved unim-
naired by this decision itself. There
is no question but what France was
diametrically opposed TO England and
America. They have yielded some.
thing; so have we.
"It has been something Ike the
process of the conversations between
Washington and Berlin last October.
You will remember the great uncer.
tainty in France at tnat time about
the wisdom Of President Wilson's ac.
ton. We wanted 20 keep on fighting,
but yielded; and the results have been
satisfactory.
NO doubt the present situation will
work out, too. But we 60 not think ii
will work out the way the advocates
of the Prinkipo conference hope. It
is hardly likely that all these anti.
Bolshevist governments in Russia will
consent to participate in the confer
ence with anarchists. Perhaps none
Of them will. So we may find our
selves comforting only with the Bol.
sheviki. who are eager to come. What
will happen in that ease has appar-
entity not yet been ~'orked out. But
it Is not probable under those condi-
lions that the fighting in Russia would
cease, whereas such n cessation of
hostilities is an essential requirement
on which we have declared the Prin-
kipo conference must he based |
think it is a foregone conclusion that
Admiral Kolchaks government in 81.
IBERIA will take no part in the confer.
ence with the Bolsheviki: but, on the
other hand. the Admiral probably
would not go on with his military
operations without the support of the
Allied trOops in his region