The Peace Conference was called by the five principal powers Premperley, A History of the Peace Conference of Paris, i., 382. of the Allied and Associated Powers to the Observations of the German Delegation on the Conditions of Peace.
to assemble at Paris. Geneva had been suggested as a neutral meeting-place for victors and vanquished, but the opinion pre vailed that the enemy should be excluded from the conference until summoned to hear the terms which must be accepted. Brussels also was suggested in appreciation of Belgium's heroic role in the war, but the honour was finally given to France. The war against the Central Powers had been directed from France ; there sat the Supreme War Council of the Allies, and upon this the structure of the Peace Conference could best be erected.
The Council of Ten.—Upon the arrival of Lloyd George in Paris, a meeting of the Supreme War Council was held, Jan. 12, at the Quai d'Orsay. France was represented by Clemenceau and Pichon, Great Britain by Lloyd George and Balfour, Italy by Orlando and Sonnino, the United States by Wilson and Lansing. Though ostensibly an informal conversation among plenipotentia ries of the four leading Powers, the meeting was the occasion of the significant decision to add only the representatives of Japan to the Supreme Council and to exclude all others from the major decisions of the Peace Conference. Thus the Council of Ten sprang from the Supreme War Council. There also came to Paris the representatives of Belgium, Serbia, Rumania, Greece and the other States-32 in all—which had f ought against the Central Powers or had broken off diplomatic relations with them. Ob viously it was impossible for all to have equal part in determining the conditions of peace. To each, seats and a vote were allotted in the plenary sessions of the conference. Representatives of those states which had remained neutral during the war, and yet had interests to safeguard or to advance at the Peace Conference, were permitted to attend only those sessions which were arranged for discussion of their claims, whenever they were specially summoned by the five chief Powers. It had been the intention of the latter, at first to put on the same footing the new states which were rising from the ruins of the Central Powers. Before the first plenary session, Poland and Czechoslovakia were con ceded representation in the conference ; but Yugoslavia—includ ing Serbia, Montenegro and the south Slav provinces of Austria Hungary—was not officially recognized until the end of May, chiefly because of the opposition of Italy.
The Delegates.—Outstanding among the delegates from the smaller Powers were Hymans, Foreign Minister of Belgium; Paderewski, Premier of Poland, and his Foreign Minister Dmow ski; and Bratianu, Premier of Rumania. For Serbia and the south Slays came Pasie, Vesnie and Trumbi6. Venizelos came to speak for Greece. For Czechoslovakia came its Premier, Kra marsz, and the brilliant young Foreign Minister, Ben& The new Kingdom of the Hejaz was represented by the Emir Feisul.
But there was considerable dispute before the five principal Powers finally assigned places in the conference to each state in accordance with its military strength and its share in the war. Five seats were given to each of the five chief Powers ; three apiece were assigned to Belgium, Serbia and Brazil; two each to Canada, Australia, South Africa, India, China, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Greece, the Hejaz, Portugal, Rumania and Siam ; one each to New Zealand, Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Liberia, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru and Uruguay. Many delegates were thus left out, but the panel system was adopted so that all Powers could use their plenipotentiaries in rotation if they desired. Representatives of the British Dominions, for example, more than once shared in important decisions of the Supreme Council by reason of their membership in the panel of the British Empire. Other work was found for excess members of several delegations on commissions and sub-committees.
When the plenary assembly of the conference met for the first time on Jan. 18 it proved to be only a body of approval merely passing upon actions that had already been determined in the Supreme Council. Clemenceau was elected president of the con ference. A secretariat-general previously selected by the Supreme Council was appointed. A drafting committee was approved, on which had been placed only representatives of the five chief powers. The smaller Powers endeavoured to protest against such rigid control by the Five. But at the second plenary session on Jan. 25 Clemenceau bluntly dismissed their objections with allusion to the 12,000,000 soldiers behind the Five Powers.