New-York tribune., 1919-01-18
California Senator Hays the
Peace Commissioners for
Their Secret Diplomacy
q A Points, Are Violated
First One Abrogated ''at
First Moment of First
Meeting,'' He Declares
Ncw York Tribune
Wdshin gton Bureau


WASHINGTON, Jan. 17.-A picture
Of the President of the United States
bottled up in a secret conference, sit
ting there with his lips tied" was held
mp before the Senate to-day by Hiram
Johnson, of California, in an impas-
stoned denunciation of the reversion to
secret diplomacy forced by the peace
commissioners at Versailles.
at is irritating and humiliating to
me to have the President of the United
States in this position" the California
Senator declared 'If he cannot fight
his way out through this mesh of Old
World diplomacy am in favor Of CIV
ing him what help can in my humble
way
81 am glad this question has been
raised by the Senator from Idaho
(Borah), because | believe it to be of
cranscerdent importance Every ma
tion accepted the fourteen peace points
laid down by the President on the Sth
of January, with one possible excep-
tion. which / need not discuss at this
time.
First Point Violated
The first one Of these fourteen
points was open covenants Of peace
openly arrived at and yet at the first
moment of the first meeting of the
peace commissioners the first of these
fourteen points is deliberately violated,
and we are given instead communi-
que which we have learned during the
JoI rs
and not state the real facts.
"If this is persisted in some affirma
tive action should be taken in the SEN
ate to show clearly othe Peace Con-
ference that the Senate of the United
States insists that this one of the four
teen points shoulCl be lived UP to by the
peace commissioners"
The California Senator declared this
step Of the Old World diplomats added
to his conviction that there should be
laid down lear cut American policy
and he declared his conviction that the
American troops abroad ''whcrever
at the earliest possible moment"
Precipitated By Borah
The debate on onen diplomacy was
precipitated by Senator Borah of Idaho,
who read several newspaper dispatches
from espondents at Versailles, tell
ing Of the throwing overheard of
open diplomacy" including the dis
patch Of Richard v Oulahan. declaring
that the onlMsource Of information was
the President, who was "inacces Bile" :"
Mr.. Borah read from the Presidents
address of January 8. containing the
fourteen points, placing emphasis on
the Presidents point that open coven-
ants of peace must be "openly arrived
at"
81 am discussing this question to-
day" said Mr.. Boral, "because | would
like the President of the United States,
and the delegates Of other nations at
the peace conference, to know that the
great majority of the American peo-
pie are in favor of open diplomacy, and
opposed to the secret, closed door
methods of the Old World
Leads Way to War
"Secret diplomacy has left the germ
of conflict and war in every peace
treaty written in. the last hundred
years. 1t has led the way to future
contentious and suspicious. If the
peace commissioners are proposing to
take that stp, which will make impos-
sible a permanent peace, the people
who fought and won this war should
know it, 1t will be a distinct disap-
pontment to these people. who have
endured so much, to know that the
same old practise has been readopted.
at is the same old story as that of
the Vienna conference. When that con-
ference was about to meet the same
assurances that the proceedings would
be open to- the world were given, as
had been given prior TO the converting
of this conference. Scarcely had that
Vienna conference assembled when Met
tcrnich urged the necessity of secrecy,
and finally, great master of diplomacy
that he was. he succeeded in closing.
the doors.
The Certain Result
"The result is, as every student of
history knows, that behind close doors
were written secret treaties which have
been causing wars from time to time
ever since"