Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1919-07-04
SIGNING OF TREATY
ENDS WORLD WAR
FORMAL CEREMONY TOOK PLACE
AT VERSAILLES LAST
SATURDAY.

The greatest war of all time was
formally ended last Saturday after
noon when Germany and the Allied
powers signed the treaty of peace at
Versailles.
!. Signatures were affixed to the great
document in the Hall of Mirrors with
In few yards of the spot in the
same hall where William had him
self crowned emperor Of Germany.
and where the >German empire was
proclaimed
The hall was crowded when the
German delegates, Foreign Minister
Mueller and Colonial Minister Bell
entered and took their seats at 3:08
O'Clock. Mueller was first to sign at
3:12 o'clock. Bell was next. Pres
ident Wilson signed at 3:14 o'clock,
then Premier Lloyd George two min
utes later. Entire delegations then
signed In this order:
United States. Great Britain.
France, Italy, Japan and the smaller
powers. Chinese delegates absented
themselves, refusing to participate on
account of the Shantung settlement,
and it was reported that they had
cabled Pekin for instructions. Gem
eral Smuts, signing for South Africa,
did SO under protest and issued a
statement setting forth his reasons.
In an address to the American pe0-
pie, issued from Washington, D. c.,
after the treaty had been signed.
President Wilson made plea for the
acceptance of the treaty and the cove
nant of the league of nations with
out change or reservation. The state
ment said:
MY Fellow Countrymen: The
treaty OF peace has been signed. II
1t Is ratified and acted upon In full
and sincere execution Of it's terms, It
will furnish the charter for new or
der OF affairs in the world. It IL q
severe treaty in the duties and penal
ties it imposes upon Germany, but It
Is severe only because great wrongs
done by Germany are to be righted.
and repaired: 1t imposes nothing that
Germany cannot do; and she can re-
gain her rightful standing in the
world by prompt and honorable full
fillment of It's terms.
"And 1t Is much more than treaty
of peace with Germany 1t liberates
great peoples who have never before
been able to find the way to liberty.
1t ends, once for all. an old and intol-
cradle order under which small
groups of selfish men could use the
peoples Of great empires to serve their
ambition. It associates the free gov
ernments OF the world in permanent
league In which they are pledged to
use their united power to maintain
peace By maintaining right and JUS
tice.
ut makes International law real
ity, supported by imperative sane
tions. It does away with the right to
conquest and rejects the policy of an
nexation and substitutes new order,
under which backward nations-pop-
ulations which have not yet come to
political consciousness. and peoples
who are ready for independence. but
not yet quite prepared to dispense
with protection and guidance-shall
no more be subjected to the domina-
| tion and exploitation Of stronger ma
tion. but shall be put under the
I! friendly direction and afforded the
helpful assistance of governments
which undertake to be responsible for
| the opinion of mankind in the execu-
tion of their task by accepting the di-
rection of the league of nations. 1t
| recognizes the inalienable rights of
nationality; the rights of minorities
and the sancitity of religious belief
and practice. 1t lays the basis for
conventions which shall free the COM
mercial intercourse OF the world from
Continued on Page Ten.