The Canon City record with which is consolidated the Canon City cannon., 1918-12-12
VERSAILLES IS
HISTORIC SPOT
az U.ltes 1.res..l

Versailles, Nov. S0-(By Mall, -
This is q groat town for peace com
ference. Although 1t isn't quite half
As big as Toledo. o.. in point of popu-
Iation and has not nearly the hotel ac-
commodationa available in Salt Lake
City. and has NO convention hall In the
class OF the auditorium at St. Paul.
Mimi. It has one qualification which
absolutely puts those American cities
out OF the race for the worlds great
est peace conference
It has background.
Background is as essential to a sue
|cessful peace conference as is chile
con carne to Mexican carnival Il
Is expensive. and the right kind can
not be bought In any market any more.
the late war having used up the entire
current output a
The historical background OF vey-
sailies cost France q century Of starva-
tion. an ocean Of blood. . cycle Of
scandal. q few billion francs and =
heartache that throbbed 30 power
fully that Il Jared dynasties and en-
pires on the earth.
Louis XIII. who was q goodiy king.
went hunting in the woods where now
stands Versailles. one day about 1924
He had hne luck hunting. but At right
he had to sleep in hotel where there
were some common folk sleeping. and
sitting about talking politics! Sleep
ing In the same building With wagon
iers ard farmers was shocking TO Louia.
for Louis vas a regular king. He de-
cided to build . little chateau near his
hunting grounds. where be could sioeD
tn peace once or twice a year. for he
had no automobile to take him back
TO Paris at the end OF q perfect hunt
ing day.
That chateau Of Louis XIII. very
unbeautiful but highly expensive
house. still stands. with the magnifi-
cent palace of Versailles built around
n. The palace itself could house TO-
900 persons very easily. but II doesn't.
and never did.
II IN used ~ a museum. and zs q
monument to the stupendous extrava-
gance (effrontry and futiiity OF mon
archy. II is used also for peace con-
ferences now and then. Usmlly.
when two or more nations have strug-
gied 10 long a the battlefield that
all the common folks money has been
spent and the fortunes Of the counts
and dukes have been threatened. dele
gates OF the belligerent nations have
gathered at Versailles and signed a
peace treaty. Now il is proposed tha,
representatives OF practically all na-
tons Of any Importance and repreSen-
tatives OF all classes OF human beings.
meet here 20 proclaim the end OF war
and autocacy.
Louis XIV built most of the palace.
much as it appears today. Louis XIV
made some changes and pretty much
got lost In the big corridors. Louis
XVI did some more building and tear
ing down and improving.
Napoleon neglected the great palace.
and afterward remarked that he was
sorry he hada-f torn 1t down while he
had n chance
Louis Philippe spent . few millions
repairing and restoring the palace and
grounds and carrying out some prof.
ecss OF his own In connection with IL.
And here 1t stands. ready to furnish
aheiser and background for . real
peace conference.
Nobody will ever know how much
the great palace cost France under
the reign &C Its builder. L<yuis XIV.
Louis became badly scared when he
received the bills. because be had
heard good deal about SONS disturb
ers who were whispering that even e
king had no right to spend SO much
uioncy for n palace for to house his
lady friends when the nation over
which he ruled was starving. So
Louis did what many q purchaser of
expensive hats has done since tore
up the bills and burned them before
anybody could look them over.
The palace was rot built with an
eye to peace conferences or assem-
blies of deInocrncies. Louis XIV didn't
know about such things. But Louis
had lady friend. a Miss La valliere.
with whom he was trying to make a
great hit. She was the same lady
who wore the little decoration sus-
pended about her neck, from which
lRva.iieres tvariously spelled aud de-
signed In these days) take their name.