The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1921-03-25
LANSING WRITES OF
PEACE CONFERENCE
FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE
GIVES INSIDE FACTS CON-
CERNING w. WILSON

today, how close he came to reSigniup
from the commission because OF elf
ferences with President Wilson over
the Shantung decision and his belief
that many of the terms of peace 1m-
posed on Germany were harsh, humiI-
iating and seemingly impossible OF
performance.
The publishers OF this book, which
has been largely awaited BY historians
and the public, have carefully guarded
the text of the manuscript but chey
have permitted the general trend of
Mr.. Lansing's argument to become
known.
President Wilson, according to Mr..
Lansing's belief, at one time during
the Peace Conference purposed to ne
gotiate preliminary treaty which
would start the League of Nations
functioning without laying the docu-
ment before the United States senate,
and evidently was much perturbed
when his secretary of state told nm
that the only way to change the status
from war to peace was by ratified
treaty or joint resolution of con-
gress.
A profound conviction that immedi-
ate peace was the primary need OF the
world, Mr.. Lansing implies, was all
that kept him from resigning from the
peace commission because Of funda-
mental disagreements with the presi-
dent on principles. The former secre-
tary discloses that in 1916, shortly be-
fore meeting in Washington of the
League to Enforce Peace at which the
president was to speak, Mr.. Lansing
wrote to Mr.. Wilson objecting to the
use of force to settle international
disputes. In this letter he pointed to
the menace to the Monroe Doctrine
contained in such a plan.
Some high spots Of Mr.. Lansing's
book are shown in the following ex-
tracts:
Il cannot but feel that my open
opposition to his attending the con-
ference was considered by the presi-
dent to be an unwarranted meddling
with his personal affairs, and was
none of my business
He (Mr. Wilson, said with great |
candor and emphasis that he did not |
intend to have lawyers drafting the
treaty of peace His (the presi-
dent's) sweeping disapproval Of mem
bers of the legal profession partici-
pating in the treaty making seemed
TO be, and L believe was intended to
be, notice to me that my counsel was
"One may infer that the president
was disposed to employ the general
longing for peace as means of ex-
ert1ng pressure on the delegates In
Paris and inducing their governments T.
to accept his plan for league"
"The president having in the re-
port Con the League of Nations) de
clared the American policy, his COM n
missioned representatives were bound
to acquiesce whatever their personal
views were. Acquiescence or resigna-
ton was the choice"
think it is not unjust to say that
PRESIDENT Wilson was stronger in his
hatreds than in his friendships. He t
seemed to lack the ability to forgive ]
one who had offended or opposed Il
lim."
The time given to the formulation
u the covenant of the league of ma
ions and the determination that it {
'nould have first place in the negoti- I
atlons caused such a delay in the pro- t
;eedlngs and prevented a speedy res
oratlOn OF peace. Denial of this is
Useless. 1t is too manifest to require !
)roof or argument to support" !
1T is fair to. assume he had no pro- q
,ram prepared and was unwilling to
lave any one else make a tentative
me for his consideration 1t left the .
commission without a chart '
marking out the course which they y
we're to pursue in the negotiations and I
apparently without a pilot who knew g
he channel" a
He was not disposed to discuss I
matters with the American commits =
lon as whole or even to announce Z
0 them his decisions unless some 1
hing arose which compelled him to do !!
0. He easily fell into the practice of
eeing men separately and of keeping ),
ecret the knowledge acquired as well z
S the effect of this knowledge on his y l.
Jews and purposes
But for secrecy I firmly believe
hat there would have been no Fiume :,
fair =
If to the increasing secretiveness of II
le proceedings of the controlling
Odles Of the peace conference are n
dded the intrigues and bargainings G;
hlch were constantly going on, the tc
q Iolllng-tO use q term familiar to fe
merlcan politics which was prac-
ced, the record is one which invites D,
0 praise and will find many who con- h,
emn it." n,
Secrecy and intrigues which were D,
1ly possible through secrecy stained
early all the negotiations at Paris but
/ the final act of Withholding knowl-
lge of the actual text of the treaty N
ON the delegates of most of the ma liz
ons represented in the conference So
le spirit of secretiveness seems 10 W
ave gone mad" m
"After an hours conversation vis- si
'unt Chinda made it very clear ia 10
IN intended to insist on her pound Sc
flesh tn