THE PEACE COKFERENCE.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 16448, 31 May 1919, Page 4

THE PEACE COKFERENCE.

SOME OF THE GREAT FIGURES. (By Arthur Mason.) PARIS, Feb. 23. Tho murderous attack last Wednesday morning upon CTemenceau fairly startled Paris. The life of tho city perceptibly stirred under the excitement of it. The Peace Conference, as such, diminished into secondary interest. The League of Nations, Prinkipo, tho problem of the Adriatic coast, tho commissions of this and that—tho Council of Ten itself—each and all lost their significance, and nothing mattered except the aged Premier’s chance of weathering tins dastardly assassin’s stroke. In truth, most of the delegates to the Peace Conference set themselves post-haste toward the residence of Clemenceau, where they found themselves part of a great assembly of all sorts and conditions, from the Pre■eident of France downward, come to • learn at first hand the extent of the outrage and, in so far as they could be admitted to his presence, to condole with the sufferer. Clemenceau lives in a small house in a small street of outer Paris. -There is not in any case much room to spare in the narrow roadway, and its confined space, within which suburban trams clanged their bells and fought their difficult ways to the farther regions of tho city, How were clogged by the press and pack of people come thronging from far and near. Throughout that day, too, the newspaper kiosks all over Paris were raided by a public eager to catch the latest word of the affair, and it was not uncommon to see on the boulevards queues of people awaiting their turn to buy the freshest available tidings. The • old man himself from the beginning made light of the thing, and at present his steady progress towards recovery is marvellously justifying him. One effect of this attempt upon his life is that it has shown what a hold ho already had upon the affection of Paris. Further, it has extended beyond calculation that general esteem of him. More than ever in this hour he is acknowledged as tho man whoso unconquerable spirit has triumphed so wonderfully over the natural infirmities of his years as to establish him as a symbol of the unfaltering vigour, the .clear-eyed youthfulness, of that France so much of whose burden ho has borne. If power of will and tenacity of resolve can assure it, he will return before long to his work at the conference and to that clear-thinking direction of its debates which already lias meant so much to it. Clemenceau is easily one of the outstanding personalities of the great gathering. Wo have heard a good deal of his activities in the Council of Ten, and we have seen

for ourselves something of them at the plenary sessions. He is always an imfrcssive figure. A small grey man, earing the marks of his many years, he yet suggests, unmistakably, alertness’ and toughness and strength. His manner is brisk, his speech is as swift as tlie wind. He invariably wears grey gloves, a detail which is emphasised for. those who watch him by the free and energetic play of his hands in an unceasing restlessness of gesture, which is part of him. He sits in his presidential chair hunched up, bent almost to the point of collapse. It is the tiger’s crouch. The least demand Upon him stiffens it into alertness. He ahoots from his seat all life and all energy, and in an instant his words, quick spoken, masterful, decisive, are playing about the chamber. A great personality, he means much to i) ranee just now, and he means much to the Peace Conference. The wish of everyone who knows how much he means is that his recovery of. health end vital force will be both speedy and complete. MR. LLOYD GEORGE. Of Mr. Lloyd George the company of British journalists in Paris have been privileged to see a good deal by reason of his desire to assist them by personal advice to a clear conception of matters before the conference. To that end he has arranged weekly informal meetings at which he sjts among us, or goes from one to another chatting of affairs, or makes a detailed statement of matters in hand, or answers, briefly or at length, the quostions he allows us to ask. There is no limit to the range of those questions and, sometimes, they lead to very interesting and very instructive pasr sages. The Prime Minister is distinctly an attractive host on these occa- 1 tions. Easy, genial, humorous, he assures to us not only a valuable, but a sparkling hour. He is adroitness itself in his handling of questions, and the cleverness of his replies, and his power to conjure up phrases that grip and hold, are unfailingly impressive, and not least so when the matter at assuo has been evaded rather than met. .ihere can be no doubt of the strength of his leadership of the British delegation to the conference. It can never Jack skill, at least, and it has all the weight attaching both to the great position there of the British Empire, P ers °nality and the power ot Mr Lloya George himself. In these aays he is ocanng a tremendous burden of responsibility, of which his conlerenc© duties are only one part No one would guess, from contact with his preyailuig mood of smiling affability, that he is oppressed by an accumulation or problems as diverse and as intricate as have ever confronted a British statesman— except, that, now and then, the lightness of his mood makes a switt change, he drops into gravity voice, words manner perceptibly’ broaden and deepen, and you have the other, sterner, stronger Lloyd George or the heavy hours and days and months of unparalleled crisis and incessant strain. BALFOUR AND PICHON. Mi. Balfour has his place in the Council of Ton, but has taken no acrive part in the plenary sessions where, indeed, he sits nonchalantly at ease and unobtrusive, with occasional variation from that silence in the way of smiling but inaudible remarks to his neighbours. One learns that his knowledge of European affairs is of the highest value in the debates and the hearing of claims within th© Council of Ten, and now and again he addresses either the American or the British journalists in Paris, always to their advantage in the way of instruction. Other than President Wilson no American delegate has spoken in our hearing at the conference, but on one occasion Mr. Lansing addre sed us. He was suave and courteously communicative on unessentials, and wo had the impression that caution, at least in the presence of those who might print him, was a quality bo' thought much of. We have much more reason, at any rate, to value the Sunday morning interviews which M. Pichon gives ns. The French Minister of Foreign Affairs ir- a shrewd enough man, and he, is not likely to say too much, hut on these

occasions ho talks quite freely, and answers at length the many questions invariably put to him. He strikes one as being an able statesman, well established in the voluminous facts before the conference, and in his case there is the added interest that his conversations with us take place, in the very holy of holies, the beautiful oakpanellecl, tapestried room in which the Council or Ten meet every day, and in which, therefore, history of incalculable significance is being made. SOME LESSEE LIGHTS. M. Venizolos, a distinguished-looking man, impresses as one of _the big figures of the conference. AVe know that bis statement of the claims of Greece made a great effect upon the Council of Ten, before whom he pleaded some weeks ago, and since then ono has heard him speak in plenary session. His fine presence and open-hearted frankness of manner reinforced the vigour and weight of his words on that occasion, and one’s hearsay _ impressions of the great Greek patriot were amply confirmed. There is, also, M. Leon Bougeois. a Frenchman of whom France thinks highly. Ho rather runs to words, Tmi he is admittedly an authority on the subject of the League of Nations, and his conference speech on that subject was one of the breadth and authority expected from a man who will play a foremost part for Franco in the building up of that great scheme. There are many other personalities of interest. Botha and Smuts make a suggestive showing in the South African scats._ Sir Robert Borden claims the attention due to a Dominion Premier who is prominent enough to be mentioned as the future British Ambassador to Washington. Mr. Hughes is, as we know, actively energetic; and Sir Joseph Cook, for long quiet under a watching brief, now is engaged in that task of elucidating the problem of Czecho-Slovakia (news of which must have surprised his Australian friends). It is a task, however, which Sir Joseph Cook himself has entered upon with great interest and keenness, and discharge of it will appreciably add to his usefulness as a member of the conference. Mr. Massey is similarly happy on what is popularly known here as the “hanging committee” ; but the energies of Sir Joseph Ward so far have been limited to his taking a place in the plenary session as a British delegate. Otherwise there arc many elusive figures of farolf race, and unknown significance. There are the picturesque Arabs, the. bland but quite non-committal Japanese, and the inscrutably mystqrious representatives of other Eastern lands—so that by reason of these known and unknown personalities, which make up its membership, even the outward and visible appearance of the conference is a study of inexhaustible interest.