Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1922-04-01
0NE fact stands out at the
Paris Pence Conference O..

~ ~
~ Paris Peace Conference as
distinctive and determining.
tho fact that tho people OF the
world. publico. were there repre-
sented and organized as never be-
fore At any peace conference.
In many ways the most powerful
and least considered group OF
men at Paris we're the newspaper
correspondents. heard them
called ambassadors of public
opinion" Hero they were with rich
and powerful news associations
or newspapers or magazines DO.
hind them, and with instant COM
munication available to every part
OF the world. Since Vienna in
1915, since Verona in 1922, when
the great pswers agreed secretly
TO suppress the liberty OF the prcss
because 1T is the most powerful
means used by the pretended SUD-
porters OF the rights OF nations TO
the detriment OF those OF Princes"
since those old times popular
education. universal suffrage. n
cheap press. and easy communica-
ton, had utterly changed tho
world.
Az Paris these ambassadors OF
puoilc opinion-at least those from
america-had come not begging
pul demanding. They sat Mt every !
uooi way they looked over every |
Snoutuer, they wanted every reso- |
tuition and report and wanted II i'm
mediately. ! shall never forret ,hs
o'ce",'on or American newspaper /
n'en' ied by John Nevin. | saw
come striding through that holy OF
nohes' the French FOREIGN Once. /
demanding that they be admitted !
W tue hrst general session OF Tho
eaee conference. They Mortified
Tue upholders Of the old methods
~! desperately offended the nm |
80 conventions. they were az
self. NY u
While there was gesture Of,
unSohcern. of don't-care-what.
.nev-say. on the part OF some Of
."e leaders, no aspect OF the CON.
ierenSa n reality worried than
ntS-e than the news. opinions
Suesses, that went out nv rcoras
VI thousands OF words very nIYht.
~uu the reactions which came back
20 promptly from them. Unlike
the Princes at Vienna a hundred
years before, nearly every Jeaa.r
~ Paris well knew that he wa. 40
Penoent upon an electorate that
might shout ~ any moment. "Or
Win MS head" and thnt the iudg-
Ment or that electorate was hassd
upon what these aggressive smbas-
saooTs OF public opinion were
higntIy putting out 10 the four
winds from the wireless tower az
Lyons. or sending by cable under
the seas.
diplomats Alarmed and Puzzled
The diplomats at Paris rer. no,
only alarmed by the invasion OF
the puolic-especially the agrees.
slVe and powerful invasion OF the
american press. but puzzled. gen
ulneIy puzzled. They were iust
Through with an iron-clad Censor
ship OF the press which had lasted
-FOUR years. Men like Balfour
trained in the old school. would
have liked to find a new way. but
did not know how and were afraid.
The whole technique, indeed. or
dealing with publics in the matter
OF foreign affairs was fire-new.
There was no background. no ex-
perience, 10 go by. except the grim
traditions OF man like Sonnoni OF
Italy, who was for plodding
straight ahead oblivious OF public
opinion. according 10 the old meth
DDS OF secret meetings, secret bar
gains, secret treaties. He was the
only leader in Paris who seemed
never TO doubt.