The Greeneville daily sun. (Greeneville, Tenn.) 1918-1920, 1919-06-09
THE DAMAGE DONE BY SECRECY.


entitled to know every word of the proposal
handed to the German representatives at Versailles The
failure to place before the people the text Of the docu
ment which 50 vitality them cannot now be ex
planned away by any satisfactory excuse apology or plea
Much stress laid upon the statement that President
Wilson had bound himself to keep the treaty secret from
the American people because the allied delegates wished
to keen it secret from their people There no mrt in
this argument if there is any virtue in President Wilson's
first peace point which, being first, was undouoteo re-
garded by him the cardinal principle upon ne "ouio
act in Joining the allies in making peace. he INSISTED
n the abolition Of secret bargains affecting nations
and the allies agreed to the principle II they asked
Mr. Wilson to violate his first principle, ne was az Defs
to refuse their request His refusal would have forced
the allied premiers to come out into the open with their
peoples Then the whole free world could have judged
for itself the work of its servants at Paris good tne
work would have been approved II bad 1t would nave
been dsapproved Backed by the world approval the
treaty would have forced itself upon the enemy II the
treaty had been dsapproved it could have been amended
"a meet the peoples approval and then forced upon the
enemy
There was good reason for secrecy in the process OF
bringing the allies together on the treaty terms
would have been unwse to hold open sessions of the
conference of the allies proposals put forward
tentatively would have become known to the enemy VINO
would have had an opportunity to take secret means OF
hwarting the allies After the allies had agreed now
ever and had actually handed their fixed terms to the
enemy it was the height of folly to conceal the terms
from allied peoples.
Tho ;niurv was Immediately manifested. The leaders
f tho conference were subjected to all sorts OF
,usnicons as result of rumors which would not have
been born if the truth had been placed before the PEG
PIES Mr. Wilson, the chief figure at the Paris CONFER
nce became the principal target of criticism and from
that hour his prestige has been impaired both at nome
and abroad The nations await with deep anxiety the
information that has been withheld from them concern
j, mo their own fate They skeptical and inclined &c
mt bad construction on matters which, if published
freely and freely explained might have been acceptable
The enemy noticed this growing breach between the
nations and their at Paris and made the best Of
f the situation The Germans were presented with al
normous advantage over the allied spokesman, for thu
Germans could publish freely in Germany and alile'
countries any observations they pleased regarding an!
mart Of the treaty while the allied spokesman had fool
sbv hound themselves to remain dumb before their owl
peoples Thus the Germans exposed such parts OF tn
treaty served their purpose while keepngn the BACK
II yround These nations thus obtained their first impress
sons of the treaty from enemy sources with an enem
interpretation 1t is astounding that keen-witted me
e ike President Wilson, Mr.. Lloyd George and NJ Clemen
ceau should have aided the enemy in this most decat
and important matter of publicity which sways the mind
., millions and thereby helps mold the will of the worlC
Presumably the object in conceang the peace treat
was to prevent the presentation of objections which mgr
nave forced the conference to make important changes
and which in any event would have caused delay. TIL
oan however presupposed the power of the Paris DELE
gates to compel the allied nations to accept the treat
u.s. drawn whether they approved it or not Now, Euro
2ean @ations do as they please, but the America
delegation at Paris knows very we'll that the Unite
States cannot be compelled to accept treaty that
Objectionable The treaty is shrouded in myster
the greater the curiosity regarding it, and the NOR
determined the people and the Senate will be to scrutniz
it. By no possible method treaty be kept secre
from the Senate, for it is not treaty until the Senat
las consented to its ratification. The treaty of Par
is not yet treaty so far the United States is
II cerned but draft subject to amendment rejection
!, approval by the Senate,
~ If it was the hope of the Americans concerned in til
negotiation of the Paris treaty that the chances of Sena
approval would be improved by Withholding the treat
from the American people, they know better The met
lie DDS of diplomacy which have marked the negot
ton and conceament of the Paris treaty have created
IL widespread conviction in the United States that there
something in the treaty which cannot withstand the ce'
ss analysis of American public opinion Of course, II
treaty stands chance of approval unless this convi