Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-05-08
Teuton Enjoys
Admit Defeat


fcnls. started at 2.20 o'clock. when
servants brought in huge armfuls Of
thc printed conditions Of peace aud dis
tributcd them, one copy to each dele
CATION. around the hollow rcctanglc.
The Germans only were excepted. their
copy being delivered to them ut 3.1T
o'clock during the translation of Pre-
micr ClCmcnCcau' speech.
At - o'clock Premier Clcmenccau
aud stephen Pichon. the French for
cign minister. entered for n final sur
vcv Of the arrangements and then left
to await the arrival of President Will
son. Secretary of state Lansing also
appeared for an instant at go o'clock.
The minor delegates now were stream
ing into the room and virtually all were
assembled in their places, when, at
2.55 o'clock President Wilson. nc
companicd by tho other American dele
gates aud rrCmcrs Clcmcnccau and
Lloyd George. entered together aud
moved informally TO their places at the
head of the table
Orlando GreetS Wilson
Premier Orlando and Foreign Minister
Sonnino. of Italy. followed an instant
later. Both of them walked over to
shake hands with President Wilson aud
Premier ClemCnccau. before seeking
their places
While the asscmblagc was seating it.
Sn1E ,,.tt .,. nt t,,.n np M
minutes afer . o'clock Premier Glenn
cnccau and President Wilson engaged in
an animated conversation. Premier
Lloyd George and Arthur j. Balfour.
the British foreign secretary. also in
dulgcd in chat Premier Padcrewski.
during this intcrludc. made n bclated ap
pearancC.
After n five minute wait Colonel
Henry. tho French liaison officer. ap-
pparcd in the chamber. heralding the
approach of tho German delegation. The
Germans entered the door an instant
later. preceded by Il functionary of the
French Government wearing tho glitter
ing chain of his office. who announced
in loud voice Mcssicurs, the Ger
Fan delegates.
German Delegates Arrive
There was some little confusion
among the Germans while they were
finding their proper places. Count Won
Brockdorff Rantzau. who entered
gloves in hand. took the center chair.
with his five colleagues, and Director
Won Stockhammcr. Of the foreign Office.
hanking him on either hand. Five Ger
man secretaries aud their interpreters
took their places at tables in the rear.
Premier Clemcnccau. as president of
the congress, then arose and declared
the session opened lie started imme
diatcly upon his opening speech, paus
! ing to permit this to be transplated
into English and German by French
interpreters. The translation into the
German was decidedly faulty and halt
ing. The premier then addressed the
Germans again to explain the condi-
! tions of tho negotiations. telling them
! that no oral discussion would be per-
mitted and that they must submit their
observations in writing within fifteen
days. The premier then read the head =
/ ings of the treaty and made his sug
] Stsllbl lluI Tue NllHlu a lt"
days might be ready to commence the
discussion of certain sections of the
treaty.
When the premier concluded with the
customary phrase, Has anMe one OBJ
servationS to make Count Won Brock
dOrff RantZau raised his hand, but he
was not recognized until the premier
! rcmnrkS had bppn translated
Treaty Terms Delivered
During the translation Paul Dutasta
the general secretary Of the asscmblagc
proceeded almost unnoticcd across the
open space in the center of the rec
tanglc and deposited a copy of the pcac,
treaty before the head of the German
delegation.
Count Won Brockdorff Rantzau ha!
the floor said Premier Clemcnccau
as soon as the translation had been fin
ished.
The head of the German delegate iol
did not arise. like Premier Clemenceau
reading his speech sitting. but it wa'
remarked by some that this apparen
discourtesy to his advcrsaricS may hav,
Dttu hlS Sl'ul
After the first sentence of the count
speech had been delivered in German
an interpreter began the French trans
lation The words did not reach thu
head of the table distinctly apd Pre-
mier Clemcnceau called for loude
utterance. He was equally dissatis
fed with the second attempt of the in
terpreter, and two of the German Off
cials finally left their places with tn
German delegation and moved acros
to the head of the table to deliver til
German plenipotentiary' bold and frc
quently offensive message, sentence b.
sentence. right into the faces of Pre-
miers Clemcnceau, Lloyd George ant
President Wilson.
KuItur Still Crops Out
Count Won Brockdorff Rantzau
gutteral German repeatedly rang ou
in strong emphasis on particularly Wig
orous phrases or words of his speech, as
for instance, when he declared that tn
, admission by Germany of sole guilt fo
the war would be "a lie and whe
he forbade the Allies to speak c
"cruelty and murder" in view of tn
sufferings >and deaths of German civil
ians under the blockade after the arms
tice.
The interpreter, who gave the Eng