The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1919-05-08
USES PLAIN WORDS;
GERMAN SPOKESMAN IN REPLY

Versailles, May s.-Following Is
the address of NJ. Clemenceau to the
German delegates at the peace cofss
gress: 8 Ss
Gentlemen, Plenipotentiaries Of the
German Empire:
II is neither the time nor the place
for superfiuous words. You have be-
fore you the accredited plenipoten-
tiaries of all tho small and great
powers united to fight together In the
war that has been SO cruellAg.a g.azn4
poseiTupon them. The time has
come when we must settle our ac-
counts.
You have asked for peace. We are
ready to give you peace. We snail
present to you now book which con-
tains our conditions. You will be
given every facility to examine these
conditions, and the time necessary
for it. Everything will be done with
the courtesy that is the privilege of
civilized nations.
To give you my thought COM
pletely, you will find us ready to give
you any explanation you want, but
we must say at the same time that
this second treaty of Versailles has
cost us too much not to take on our
side all the necessary precautions
and guarantees that the peace shall
be a lasting one.
I will give you notice of the pro-
cedure that has been adopted by the
conference for discussion, and II any
one has any observations to offer he
will have the right to do so. No oral
discussion is to take place, and the
observations Of the German delega-
ton will have to be submitted IN
writing.
The German plenipotentiaries will
know that they have the maximum
period of fifteen days within which
to present in English and French
their written observations on the
whole Of the treaty. Before the ex-
piration of the aforesaid period Of
fifteen days the German delegates Will
be entitled to send their reply on
particular headings Of the treaty or
to ask questions in regard TO them.
After having examined the obser-
vations presented within the afore-
mentioned period, the supreme
council will send their answer in
writing to the German delegation and
determine the period within which
the final global (world-wtde) ans
wer must be given by this delegation.
The president wishes to add that
when we receive, after two or three
or four or five days, any observations
from the German delegation on any
point Of the treaty, we shall not wait
until the end Of fiften days to give
our answer. We shall at once pro-
ceed in the way indicated by this
document.
NJ. Clemenceau spoke in French.
Brockdorff- Rantzau Replies.
Count Won Brockdorf- RantZau,
head OF the German delegation
speaking in German, said:
"Gentlemen-We are deeply i'm
pressed with the sublime task which
has brought us hither to give last
ing peace to the world. We are un-
der no illusion as to the extent 81
our defeat and degree Of our want OF
power. We know that the power Of
the German arms is broken. We know
the power of the hatred which we
en'countar here, and we have heard
the passionate demand that the van
auishers may make lis pay as the
vanquished, and shall punish those
who are worthy Of being punished.
1T is demanded from us that we
shall confess ourselves to be the only
ones guilty of the war. Such con-
fession in my mouth would be a lie.
We are far from declining any re
sponsibility that this great war OF
the world has come to pass and that
it was made in the way in which 1t
was made. The attitude of the fore
mer German government at The
Hague peace conference, its actions
and omissions in the tragic twelve
days of July have certainly contrib
uted to the disaster. But we energet-
ically deny that Germany and its
people, who were convinced that they
were making war of defense, were
alone guilty.
Nobody wkl want to contend that
the disaster took its course only IN
the disastrous moment when the sue
cessor to the throne Of Austria Hun
gary fell the victim OF murderous
hands. In the last fifty years the
imperialism Of all the European
states has chronically poisoned the
international situation The policy