Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1919-06-18
German Has Until Next Sat-
urday to Sign.

~HarlS, June 14."1HS Souiieii W
four finished its labors to-day on the
reply to the Germans, which will go
OF Count Brockdorff- -Rantzau Mon
day. The last day permitted them for
acceptance or rejection of the treaty
is June 21.
If the German reply is in the neg
ative. the Allied armies will start to
march into Germany the following
day and new blockade will be I'M
mediately effective.
If the Germans express their Will
ingness to sign the document, the
ceremony will probably take place
Monday in the Hall of Mirrors at
Versailles.
The changes in the text OF the
treaty will not be communicated IN
preliminary way to the smaller pow
ers of the inter-Allied conference.
The council of four, however, recelv-
ed this afternoon the delegates of
Poland and Czecho-Slovakia as the
two smaller states chiefly interested
and outlined to them the councils de-
termination.
Belgium Not Represented.
Belgium. for some reason, was not
represented. The four had before
this placed their approval on the new
financial clauses and the remaining
sections of the treaty, and had sent
the reports thus approved to the
drafting committee, which will work
ali day tomorrow and probably
good part of Monday preparing the
reply to the Germans.
The communication will consist OF
a letter of transmission of about A.
500 words explaining in detail the
motives of the council and giving
detailed statement of all changes
made in the original draft.
1t is doubtful whether the complete
new text will be in print in time to
be handed to the Germans when Sec
retray Dutasta, or one of his aides
will go to Versailles to transmit the
reply to Vol Brockdorff-Rantzau
without any formal ceremony.
The five days period accorded to
the Germans includes the three days
notification required for the denun-
citation of the armistice.
The latest confidential reports
from Berlin are distinctly more op-
timistic regarding the chances of the
German signature of the treaty. The
leading German statesmen have aban-
doned their earlier attitude of un-
compromising refusal to-sign the
terms unless radically altered, and
are now saying, instead Of 1--WE won't
sign unless" the far milder and
more reasonable "we will sign, if"
The council of four has not grant
ed all the concessions the Germans
have suggested, but perhaps have
gone far enough to make it possible
for the Germans to climb down grace
fully and accept such concessions as
they have obtained.
Tie Concessions.
In is thought in conference circles
here concessions on the first two
points are sufficient to permit the
present government to swallow these
sections of the treaty, though with
wry face, and that the grant of
plebiscite in Silesia, but not in West
Prussia or Danzig may ultimately be
accepted on the principle of half
loaf is better than no bread. Matthias
Erzberger, head of the German arm
istice commission, has added to Won
Rernstorff's three points, two others,
bearing on the surrender Of the form
er German emperor and Germany's
acknowledgement of her guilt tor the
war. But the objections on these
points of honor are not believed to
be insuperable.
The reports indicate that the treaty
will not be signed by the German del
eeation as it is at present, but that
this delegation will be replaced by a
new delegation representing the three
majority parties in the parliament.