The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1919-01-02

Principal Part of Groundwork
For Actual Peace Confer
ence Completed.
AMERICA MUST FEED NATIONS
Herbert c. Hoover Expected to Handle
Principal Part of Work for
United States.


Paris, Dec. 24.-President Wilson's
conference yesterday and today will
virtually complete the preliminaries
he is expected to dispose of before
going to England. They probably viii
lay the principal part of the ground
work for the actual peace conference.
Mr.. Wilson considers the most press
ing Of all problems before the Entente
nations in a fair way toward being
solved. This is the question OF sup
plying food to the starving peoples of
liberated countries. It now seems
probable that the work will be handled
principally by the United States
through Herbert c. Hoover, American
food administrator. 1t has been made
plain to the Entente nations that the
United States has no wish to claim
entire credit for the work of relief In
the minds OF the people who are to be
fed and q satisfactory understanding
appears to be in sight. Mr. Hoover
will confer with the President again
today
Problems for Peace Conference.
Participation by the United States
in various councils that have been
handling food questions, matters Of
shipping and the like is being grad
ually wound up, as American officials
are trending toward the opinion that
these are proper subjects for the con-
sideration of a league of nations or
at least of preliminary organizations
which may precede it.
Some of those who have been giving
the subject close study and have been
following the conferences with En-
.tente representatives say they would
not be surprised if the real foundation
OF league of nations were to be laid
in cooperative arrangements between
the United States and the Allies for
handling these fundamental questions.
Wilson's Sorbonne Address.
Mr.. Wilson's address at the Sor-
bonnie on Saturday. in which he again
defined his conception of a league OF
nations, attracted closest attention
from all public men here This is
especially true of his statement that |
the war could never have occurred If |
the Central powers had discussed it
for a fortnight, and certainly not if |
they had been forced to talk matters |
over for more than year.
The Presidents address has recalled |
that the United States while William |
Jennings Bryan was secretary of state, |
negotiated a dozen arbitration trea- |
ties, one Of them with Great Britain. |
These treaties bound their signatories |
to discuss their controversies for at
least year before proceeding to a |
declaration of war. An attempt was
made to negotiate such a treaty with |
Germany, but the Berlin government |
refused to entertain 1t.
President Visits Wounded Yanks.
Paris, Dec 23.-President Wilson |
today visited the Red Cross hospital |
at Neuilly, where he shook hands in
dividually and talked with 1000 badly |
wounded Americans, for the most part
survivors OF the Chateau Thierry ac-
ton. He spent more than four hours
In the hospital, visiting every ward |
and stopping at every bedside. Later
he visited the French hospital, Val de |
Grace.
Speaking of his experiences at the
American hospital, the President said:
81 went through the American hos
pital at Neuilly with the greatest in
terest and the greatest satisfaction. I |
found the men admirably taken care
Of and almost without exception in /
excellent spirits.
Only Few Really Ill.
"Only a very few of them looked |
really i'll, and think that their moth
ers and friends would have been en-
tirely pleased by their surroundings
and by the alert look in their eyes
and the keen interest they took in
everything about them.
'I am sure that they will go back to
their loved ones at home with a new
feeling of joy, alike in their recovery
and in the fine service they have been
able to render"
Going to the American hospital with
the expectation of remaining an hour,
the President found four hours all too
short, as he felt that he could not
leave without speaking with every
man and he expressed regret only of
his inability to clasp the hand of every I
American soldier in France.
Precedence Worries Londoners.
London, Dec 23-President Wilson's
arrival in London on public holiday
makes it certain that there will be
win use German shipping. |
Paris, Dec. 23.-Herbert C. Hoover,
1