Cleveland County herald., 1920-01-01

y
 "the prevention of all financial, com
 mercial or personal intercourse" be-
 tween the nation failing to abide by
 the decision and all other member
 states of the League of Nations.
 On the same day that he presented
 this plan to the peace conference Pres
 ident Wilson sailed for the United
 States to attend the closing sessions
 of congress at Washington. Opposi-
 tion to the incorporation of the League l of Nations covenant in the peace treaty already had developed in this country. 1 and President Wilson, upon his return l delivered an address at Boston in which he emphasized the necessity of the United States taking a leading part Tn the organization of the League of Nations.
 Meantime the peace conference was endeavoring to reach a solution of several other veXing problems. A bit ter dispute had arisen between Italy and the new Jugo-Slav state as to the possession of the eastern coast of the Adriatic. The Italians demanded pos session of the city of Plume on the ground that it's population was largely Italian, while the Jugo-Slavs main- tained that possession of this port was essential if their newly organized na- ton was to have access to the sea.
 The Japanese delegates also gave an early indication of their attitude by insisting upon Japan's right to re tain the Marshall and Caroline islands, which she had taken from Germany. President Wilson returned to Paris after spending little more than a week in the United States. With his arrival in France on March IA the peace con ference began consideration of recom- mendations by various committees, and the peace treaty began to take. definite shape.
 On March 24 the council of ten which had been considering the chief l problems before the peace conference was replaced by council of four, con- sisting of President Wilson and Pre- miers Lloyd George Clemenceau and Orlando. From that time up to the actual signing of the peace treaty all of the problems arising were disposed of by this council of four, in which. at times, the premier of Japan also participated.
 The revised covenant of the League of Nations was presented at plenary session of the peace conference on April 2S. President Wilson, as chair man of the commission which framed the covenant, explained the changes that had been made, mostly as result of criticism in the United States. One of the most important of the amend ments made was that providing that the covenant should not affect existing understandings for maintaining peace. While 1t was not so stated specifically this amendment was designed to pre- vent the League of Nations covenant from interfering with the Monroe doc trine The revised covenant was adopted by the unanimous vote of the peace conference.
 On April 30 the council of four, which by this time had been reduced to council of three by the with drawal of the Italians, agreed 10 transfer to Japan the German posses sion of Kiau-Chau. The Chinese dele gation objected strenuously to this set clement. although Japan agreed ulti- mately to restore the territory to China. On May the council deter mined that Great Britain and her colo nies and dominons should become mandatory for the islands north of the equator.
 By May the treaty had finally been completed and on that date it was presented to the German plenipoten
 tiaries at Versailles. The pact. while it represented chiefly the deliberations of the council of four, had been adopt ed by a conference in which 27 allied and associated powers were represent ed. At the same time 1t was an nounced that President Wilson and Premier Lloyd George had negotiated treaties with France providing that the United States and Great Britain would come immediately to the assist ance of France in case of any future unprovoked attack by Germany When the peace treaty was submitted to the Germans the Italian delegates were present. having returned to Paris in response to an invitation extended by President Wilson and Premiers Lloyd l George and Clemenceau.
 The German delegates were not per | mitted to discuss the peace treaty with | the conference but were given fifteen | days in which to submit their reply in | writing. Announcement of the terms | of the treaty caused a storm in Ger many. The terms were denounced by | President Ebert of Germany as being | the most severe ever imposed upon | vanquished people," Several commu- | nications requesting changes in the treaty were submitted by the German | delegates and these were given consid | eration by the council of five. As | result some parts of the treaty were | made more lenient toward Germany. |