Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-05-08
TENSE MOMENTS
AT VERSAILLES
PEACE SESSION
Huns Enter Chamber With
Air of Victors; No Oral
Discussion Permitted
By Associated Press.

4
Versailles, May 8.-The scene at
yesterdays session of the Peace Con-
gress when the terms Of the treaty
were presented to the German dele
gates was impressive, and had Its
tense moments. In fact the entire
half hour during which Count Won
Brockdorff- -Rantzau delivered his re-
ply to Premier Clemenceau was a
period of tenseness for virtually
everyone present
Germans Interpret Pact
The speech was translated SEN
tence by sentence by the German in
terpreters who did not fail to bring
out with full emphasis every sharp
phrase in il. President Wilson and
Premiers Clemenceau and Lloyd
George put their heads together in
evident anger at more than one of
the German spokesman's cutting ut
terances, as If they were deliberat-
ing upon the advisability, of an i'm
mediate answer
| The program was unaltered, how
ever, and when the German plenipo-
tentiary had finished Premier Gle
menceau arose and put the custo-
mary phrase:
Has anyone further observations
to maker" and when there was no
response continued:
II then declare the session closed"
The allied triumvirate remained
after the German delegates had left,
for half hour discussion of the new
situation.
Pomp and Glitter Absent
The scene within the hall during
the ceremony had none of the pomp
and glitter of earlier peace confer
ences. 1t seemed to gain in i'm
pressiveness, however, by the lack
of display.
| At the head of the table the strik-
ing faces of Premiers Clemenceau
and Lloyd George and President Will
son attracted every eye. Marshal
Foch, sitting with the French dele
cation at the head of one of the
side tables was another conspicuous
figure. The bearded faces of the
Serbian statesman, M. Pachitch, and
the Greek premier, M. Venizelos, as
we'll as the familiar head of 1gnace
Jan Paderewski, the Polish premier,
also stood out from the mass of dele
gates. The impressive faces OF the
Japanese representatives, the Orien-
tai lineaments of the Chinese, the
brown countenances of the Arabs
from Hedjas, and the presence of the
two delegates from Liberia and Haiti
gave evidence that this was really
world congress.
The Germans, who entered the
chamber with all the air of victors,
bore themselves without trace of
nervousness and acted as If they
were taking part in the deliberations
on equal terms with their adversar-
les. They were preceded by func-
tionary of the French government,
who loudly announced:
"Messieures, the German dele
gates"
took the center chair, with his five
colleagues and Director Won Stock
hammer of the foreign office, flank
ing him on either hand. Five Ger
man secretaries and their interpre-
ters took their places at tables in the
rear.
Clemenceau Opens Session
Premier Clemenceau, as president
of the congress, then arose and de-
clared the session opened. He start
ed Immediately upon his opening
speech, pausing to permit this to be
translated into English and German
by French interpreters. The trans
lation into the German was decided
ly faulty and hating. The premier
then addressed the Germans again
to explain the conditions of the nego-
tiations, telling them that no oral
discussion would be permitted and
that they must submit their obser-
vations in writing within fifteen days.
He then read the headings of the
treaty and made his suggestion that
the Germans with a few days might
be ready to commence the discussion
of certain sections of the treaty.
When the premier concluded with
the customary phrase, has anyone
observations to make?" Count Won
Brockdorff- -Rantzau raised his hand,
but he was not recognized until the
premier's remarks had been trans
lated.
During the translation, Paul Dut-
asta, the general secretary of the
assemblage, proceeded almost un-
noticed across the open space in the
center of the rectangle and deposited
a copy of the peace treaty before the
head of the German delegation.
Count Won Brockdorff- Rantzau
has the floor" said Premier Clemen-
ceau. as soon as the translation had
been finished.
The head of the German delega-
ton did not rise like Premier Glenn
enceau, reading his speech sitting but
it was remarked by some that his
apparent discourtesy to his adver-
saries may have been dictated by
his physical condition.
Calls For Louder Utterance
After the first sentence of the
counts speech had been delivered in
German an interpreter began the
French translation. The words did
not reach the head of the table dis
tinctly and Premier Clemenceau call
ed for a louder utterance. He was
equally dissatisfied with the second
attempt of the interpreter, and two
of the German officials finally left
their places with the German dele
CATION and moved across to the head
of the table to deliver the German
plenipotentiaries bold and frequent
ly offensive message, sentence by
sentence right into the faces of Pre-
oiara CIaYnncaau II0vd Gaorpa and