Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1919-07-03


ed and sealed Saturday at 3:12
p. m, in the historic hall of
mirrors at Versailles, but under cir
cumstances which somewhat dimmed
the expectations of those who had
worked and fought during long years
OF war and months of negotiations for
its achievement
The absence OF the Chinese dele
gates, who at the last moment were
unable to reconcile themselves to the
Shantung settlement, and left the
eastern empire outside the formal pur-
views OF peace, struck the first dis
cordant note in the assembly. A writ
ten protest which General Jan Chris
tian SHUTS lodged with his signature
was another disappointment to the
makers of the treaty.
But, bulking larger, was the attitude
OF Germany and the German plenipo-
tentiaries, which left them, as evident
from the official program of the day
and from the expression Of M. Clemen-
ceau, still outside any formal recon
'ciliation and made actual restoration
to regular relations and intercourse
with the allied nations dependent, not
upon the signature OF the "prelimi-
naries OF peace" today, but upon rati-
fication by the national assembly.
To M. Clemenceau's stern warning
in his opening remarks that they
would be expected ,and held, to OBJ
serve the treaty provisions legally
and completely, the German delegates,
through DR.. Haniel Won Haimhausen,
replied after returning to the hotel
that, had they known they would be
treated on a different status after sign
Ing than the allied representatives, as
shown by their separate exits before
he general body of the conference,
they never would have signed.
AS contrast with the Franco-G Ter.
man peace session Of 1871. held
in the same hall, there were presen,
grizzled French veterans OF the Fran.
co-Prussian war. They replaced the
Prussian guardsmen of the previous
ceremony and the Frenchmen watch
ed the ceremony with grim satisfae
tion.
'b So"oitioHb hcNcTS0O.
The conditions Of 1871 were exactly
reversed. The disciples Of Bismarck
sat In the seats of the lowly while
the white marble statue Of Min.
erva, the goddess OF war, looked on.
Overhead of the frescoed ceiling
were scenes from Frances ancient
wars.
Three incidents were emphasized
by the smoothness with which the GER
emony was conducted. The first OF
these was the failure OF the Chinese
delegation to sign. The second was
the protest submitted by General Jan
Christian SHUTS. who declared the
peace unsatisfactory. The third, un
known to the general public, came
from the Germans. When the pro
gram for the ceremony was shown
to the German delegation. Herr Won
Haimhausen, Of the German delega
tion. went 70 Colonel Henry, French
liaison officer, and protested. He
said:
I'VE cannot admit that the German
delegates should enter the hall by a
uOOT tu6 euttnI6 Qele
gates, nor that military honors should
be withheld. Had we known there
would be such arrangements before
the delegates would not have come"
After a conference with the French
foreign minister 1T was decided, as a
compromise. to render military hon.
ors as the Germans left Otherwise
the program was not changed.
An hour before the signing OF the
treaty. those assembled in the hall had
heen urged to take their seats, but
heir eagerness to see the historic Ger.
emony was so keen that they refused
to keep their seats, and crowded to.
ward the center OF the hall, which Is SO
long that a good view was impossible
from the distance. Even with opera
glasses the correspondents and others
were unable to observe satisfactorily
The seats were in no way elevated /;
consequently there was a general
. scramble for standing room.