Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-05-02

sire. Ihey may begin oHerlng tneF
suggestions at any time but no day
of grace will be given them. Repre-
sentatives of the Allies, it was stated,
reserve the right to reply to any
of the German objections or propos-
ais at any time.
Information coming from French
sources is that a secret plenary ses-
sion of the Peace Conference VIII
be held Saturday and the meeting
with the Germans, for the handing
over of the peace treaty, Monday
afternoon.
Versailles, May 2. - In session
| beginning at S.1S o'clock yesterday
afternoon and lasting barely hve
minutes, the German plenipotentiar-
les to the Peace Congress presented
their credentials.
1t was the first step in the peace
negotiations. The German creden-
tials were presented to representa-
tives of the Allies and the United
States.
Pale and almost fainting from
emotion, Count Won Brockdorff-
Rantzau, the German foreign secre-
| tary and head of the delegation,
passed through what evidently was
one OF the bitterest moments OF his
life. He was barely able to sus-
tain himself through the brief cere-
mony and reach the waiting automo-
bile, which had brought him to the
gathering.
Meet in Trianon Hotel
The meeting took place in the
room OF the Trianon Hotel previous
ly used for the sessions of the Su-
preme Military Council. Count Won
Brockdorff- RantZau, on entering,
was accompanied by Herr Lands
berg, Professor SchueckinS and two
secretaries, and waiting for him the
Allied representatives were grouped
around Jules Cambon, the former
French ambassador at Berlin, who
is chairman of the commission.
Other members of the Allied party
included Henry White, of the Unit
ed States; Lord Harding, Great Bri-
tain, and Ambassador Matsui, ia
pan.
NJ. Cambon Immediately addressed
Count Won Brockdorff- -RantZau, stat
ing that he was chairman of the
| commission entrusted by the Allied
powers to receive and examine the
credentials of the German delegates
as the first step in a conference
which, it was hoped, would lead to
peace.
Here are ours" continued NJ.
Cambon. extending as he spoke the
formal credentials of the Allied COM
mission as plenipotentiaries to the
congress.
Count Won Brockdorff- Rantzau
surrendered the German credentials,
with even less of a formal address,
his emotion being too great to en-
able him to deliver an extended dis
| course.
Ceremony Brief
| After these brief ceremonies the
| Germans turned and left the hall.
walking a few steps to the cars in
waiting. They were followed i'm
mediately by the Allied representa-
tives. The whole ceremony was over
by $50 o'clock. The Allied dele
gates then rode to the chateau to
inspect the Hall of Mirrors, where
the treaty will be signed, and even
tually returned to the hotel for
tea.
The setting for the preliminary
meeting was dull and unimpressive.
! The skies were overcast and there
were occasional hursts of rain. This
caused abandonment of the original
plan, which contemplated having the
German delegates walk from the
Hotel Des Reservoirs across the park
to the Hotel Trianon. This would
| have followed the involuntary pre-
cedent set by Louis Theirs, the
French delegate, in discussing peace
with Bismarck in 1870. He. like the
Germans. resided at the Hotel Des
Reservoirs, and made his way afoot
| to the little hotel occupied by Bis
marck, then the worlds diplomatic
center.
Automobiles, instead, were pro-
vided. NJ. Cambou was the first of
the mission to arrive in his car, ac-
companied by William Martin, chief
of protocol of the foreign office.
Lord Harding, accompanied by Sec
retary Henry hoffman; Ambassa dor
Matsui, with his secretary, and
Henry White, with Secretary Chris
tian Herter, followed in quick sue
cession and Immediately entered the
conference room to await the arri-
val of the Germans. The latter were
delayed for a short time owing to
the fact that insufficient instructions
| had been given to the French gen.
darmes controlling traffic along the
route to the hotel. They halted the
car to see the chauffeur's permit.
Count Won Brockdorff- Rantzau at
! the entrance to the hotel raised his
hat to a group of photographers, cor
respondents and officers, who stood
outside the building, then passed di-
rectly to the conference room. The
arrangements for the ceremony pro-
vided for strict privacy and the ex-
clusion of all not Immediately con-
cerned from the precincts of the
hotel.