and distributed in proof to the delegates in the shortest possible time in order to expedite the work of the Conference. The communication thus made in advance shall take the place of the reading of the protocols at the beginning of each meeting. If no alteration is proposed by the Plenipotentiaries, the text shall be deemed approved and be entered in the archives. If any alteration is proposed, its text shall be read by the President at the beginning of the following meeting. In any case, the protocol must be read out in full at the request of any Plenipotentiary. XV. A committee shall be formed for drafting the resolutions adopted. This committee shall concern itself only with questions which have been decided. Its sole duty shall be to draw up the text of the decisions adopted and to present it for the approval of the Conference. It shall be composed of five members not forming part of the Plenipotentiary Delegates, and composed of one representative of the United States of America, one of the British Empire, one of France, one of Italy, and one of Japan. Throughout these regulations it will be observed that prominence is given to "belligerent Powers with general interests," states which in the Peace Treaty are designated as the "principal Allied and Associated Powers," viz., the United States, the British Empire, France, Italy, and Japan. At the first Plenary Session of the Conference, the inaugural speech was made by President Poincaré, and President Wilson, seconded by Lloyd George, nominated Premier Clemenceau as President of the Conference. The latter then briefly outlined the programme of work and announced that the first questions to be considered were (1) responsibility of the authors of the war, (2) penalties for crimes committed during the war, (3) international legislation in regard to labor. The members of the Conference were invited to send written memoranda on these questions to the Secretariat, and then the session adjourned. The constructive work of the Peace Conference was done through councils and commissions. The chief of these was the Supreme Council which consisted of the two ranking delegates from each of the five principal Allied and Associated Powers, and was popularly known as the Big Ten. Even this small group proved at times during the Conference to be too large, and so there were formed other groups successively known as the Big Five, The Big Four, and the Big Three. First, the second ranking delegates were eliminated, leaving a council of five, then Japan's representative dropped out, leaving four members, and then Italy, for a time, leaving three. The Big Ten as an organ of the Conference seems to have been retained in spite of these changes so that if need be the conclusions of the smaller groups could be submitted to it; and, moreover, since a state of war still existed this Supreme Council of the Conference sometimes sat as a Supreme War Council of the allied belligerents with military members present. On February 9, an Inter-Allied Supreme Economic Council was created to consider certain matters connected with the Armistice. After this time the Armistice Commission with civilian members added reported to this Council. Ultimately, numerous commissions, with technical experts as members, were formed. The principal powers had, before the Armistice, been at work individually in preparation for the problems of the peace terms, and their plenipotentiaries were accompanied by corps of specialists. Besides the commissions on territorial problems, the Conference appointed commissions on Responsibility for the War; Reparation for Damages; International Labor Legislation; International Control over Ports, Waterways, and Railways; Economic Drafting; Financial Drafting; and a Commission on the Formation of a League of Nations. The second Plenary Session of the Paris Conference was held on January 25, 1919. Its first business was the unanimous adoption of a resolution read by Premier Clemenceau, which had been drafted by the Supreme Council, and which contained the following provision for a Committee on the formation of a League of Nations: It is essential to the maintenance of the world settlement which the associated nations are now met to establish that a League of Nations be created to promote international obligations and to provide safeguards against war. This League should be created as an integral part of the general treaty of peace and should be open to every civilized nation which can be relied on to promote its objects. The members of the League should periodically meet in international conference and should have a permanent organization and secretaries to carry on the business of the League in the intervals between the conferences. The Conference therefore appoints a committee, representative of the associated Governments, to work out the details of the constitution and the functions of the League and the draft of resolutions in regard to breaches of the laws of war for presentation to the Peace Conference.1 After the reading of the resolution, addresses were made in support of it by President Wilson; Premier Lloyd George; Signor Orlando, Italian Premier; Leon Bourgeois, French delegate; and representatives of other states. The Belgian delegate M. Hymans, however, requested an explanation of the last clause of the resolution relating to the appointment of a committee. In reply, Premier Clemenceau announced the decision that the committee was to be made up of two representatives for each of the five Great Powers and five to be elected by all the other powers. He then named the delegates chosen by the Great Powers and suggested that the nineteen other powers should meet on the following Monday to elect their delegates. It was at this point that the whole question of the representation of the minor powers on the Conference Committees was raised, delegates from Belgium, Brazil, Greece, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Rumania, Siam, China, and Poland participating in the discussion. They were answered by M. Clemenceau in a significant speech, from which the above quotation was made. This set all official protest at rest, and the representatives of the small powers met on January 27, with M. Jules Cambon, French delegate, presiding. For the League Commission, they selected as their joint representatives one delegate each from Belgium, Brazil, China, Serbia, and Portugal. Thus the complete Commission on the Formation of a League of Nations consisted of the following: United States-President Wilson (Chairman) and Col. House. British Empire-Lord Robert Cecil and Lieut. Gen. J. C. Smuts (South Africa). 'Current History, 9-383, March, 1919. France-Leon Bourgeois and M. Larnaude. Belgium-Paul Hymans. Brazil-Epitacio Pessoa. China-Wellington Koo. Portugal-Jaime B. Reis. The first meeting of the Commission was held on February 3, President Wilson presiding. It had before it for discussion a printed text of a draft of a League Covenant, which had been agreed to before the organization of the Commission by President Wilson, Lord Cecil, General Smuts, and Premier Orlando. Daily sessions were held until February 13, when the tentative draft was adopted by the Commission. On the following day President Wilson read the draft at the third Plenary Session of the Peace Conference, and spoke in support of it. The document in full was made public, and the suspension of sessions of the Commission, on account of President Wilson's return to the United States, gave opportunity throughout the world for criticism, discussion, and debate. This interval was of the greatest importance, especially for those states where treaties must be ratified by the legislature, since the League Covenant, in accordance with the resolution of January 25, was to "be created as an integral part of the general treaty of peace." President Wilson reached Boston on February 24 and addressed a meeting in Mechanics' Hall. While he was on the ocean, discussion of the League draft began in the United States Senate, objections being made that it was a surrender of United States sovereignty, that it disregarded the Monroe Doctrine, and that it committed the United States to a policy of entangling alliances with the power of decision in the hands of foreign states. The criticisms were summed up by Senator Lodge on February 28 and by Senator Knox on March 1. The opposition culminated in a resolution presented by Senator Lodge but not put to vote. It was signed by thirty-nine Republicans who would be members of the Senate when the Treaty would be presented for approval, and it stated that "the constitution of the League of Nations in the form now proposed to the Peace Conference should not be accepted by the United States." Immediately after this incident President Wilson, on March 4, addressed an audience in New York, and sailed for Europe. He landed at Brest on March 13. Daily sessions of the League Commission were resumed on March 18. Thus far, only belligerents had had an opportunity to express opinion on the League draft, and since it was the intention to invite all states eventually to join, an invitation was sent out by the Peace Conference to all the neutral nations in Europe, Asia, and South America to attend a private and unofficial conference in Paris on March 20. A sub-committee of the League Commission was appointed to receive the neutral delegates. Thirteen states sent representatives. A number of proposed amendments were submitted, one by Switzerland being intended to safeguard the Monroe Doctrine. The result of all this discussion and revision was an amended draft of a League Covenant, which was adopted by the Plenary Session of the Conference on April 28, 1919. The adoption was of course not final or binding on the respective states, because the Covenant was to form part of the Peace Treaty, which itself was yet to be drawn up, signed by the representatives of the states, and formally ratified by the states themselves. In order, however, to make preparations for the preliminary organization of the League, President Wilson introduced the following resolutions, which were adopted: Mr. President-I take the opportunity to move the following resolutions in order to carry out the provisions of the covenant: You will notice that the covenant provides that the first SecretaryGeneral shall be chosen by this conference. It also provides that the first choice of the four member States who are to be added to the five great powers on the Council is left to this conference. I move, therefore, that the first Secretary-General of the Council shall be the honorable Sir James Eric Drummond, and, second, that, until such time as the assembly shall have selected the first four members of the League to be represented on the Council in accordance with Article IV of the covenant, representatives of |