The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-05-10
HAT--GERMAN
DELEGATES SAID
Full Text Of Speeches Deliy-
cred With Treaty of
49, n tdce !
HAVE NO ILLUSION
!. ABOUT THEIR DEFEAT

Delay of Armistice Responsible for
Loss of Many Lives-Demanded Co
operation.
VERSAILLES, May 10-In opening
the historic meeting in the Grand Tri-
anon, where the. German delegates re-
ceived the peace terms, Mr.. Clemen
ceau, who presided at the meeting,
speaking to the German plenipotenti
aries said:
".Genttemen, Plenipotentiaries of the
i German Empire: 1t is neither The
time nor, the place for superhuous
words You have before you the ac-
, credited .plenipotentiaries of all the
small and great powers united to fight
together in the war that has been cru
! civ imposed upon them. The time has
, come when we must settle our account.
"You have asked for peace. We are
ready to give you peace. We shall
present to yuunow a book which con-
tains our conditions. You viii be Civ
, EN- every facility to examine these CON
, ditions. and the time necessary for il.
. Everything will be done with the cour-
tesy that IS the privilege of civilized
nations.
! ''To give you my thought complete
= ly, YOU viii find us ready to give you
! any explanation You want, but we must
+ say ar the same time. that this second
y 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 n lasting one.
al ~ viii give YOU notice of the pro-
cedure that has been adopted by the
# conference for discussion and if any
% one has any observations to offer he
+ viii have the right to do so. No oral
i discussion is TO- take place. and the
: observations of the German delegation
70 will have to be submitted in writing.
all ''The German plenipotentiaries will
Z know that they have the maximum
- period of Is days within which to pre-
q sent in English and French their writ
a ten observations ON the whole of the
as treaty Before the expiration of tho
i aforesaid period of Is DAYS, the Ger
10 man delegates will be- entitled to sent
at their reply on particular headings o.
ye the treaty, or to ask questions in re
gard to them.
is after having examined the obser
ld vations presented within the aforemen
II toned period, the supreme council vii
rvj send their answer in writing to the Ger
+. man delegation and determine the pc
81 riod within which the final answer mus
to be given by this delegation.
M 1.-THE President wishes to add tina
y when we receive, after two or three o
M four or five days, any observation
Is from the delegation on any point o
the treaty. we shall not wait until tn
NJ end of the - days to give our answer
re. We shall az once proceed in the way in
tc, Dictated by this document -
re Mr.. Clemenceau spoke in French.
=. Paul Dutasta, secretary general o
the peace conference, delivered cop
of the treaty to Count Won Brock
dorff- Rantzau. head of the German de
egation, who made brief reply II
VII said:
Gentlemen: We are deeply in
pressed with the sublime task whic
x has brought us hither to give a durabl
= peace to the world. We are under n
eei illusion as to the extent of our defea
ne and the degree of our want of powe
=" We know that the power of the &c
20 man arms is broken. We know I'll
ny powerful hatred which we encountt
'h' here, and we have heard the passionai
demand that the vanquishers may NAL
~ us pay the vanqushed, and shall pul
70 ish those who are verify of being pul
81 ished
ing ct is demanded from us that v
a 49, shall confess ourselves to be the on
IeI ones guilty of the war Such confe
"a, uas sion III my mouth would be lie. v
s. Nv are far from declining any responsible
my ~ that this great war of the world Ii;
!. 70 come to pass and that it was made
W the way in which it was made. IT
- attitude of the former German go
oh' eminent at The Hague peace conferenc
1eh its actions and omissions in the trag
~ u DAYS of July have certainly co
eA- tribnted to the disaster But we enc
,ort rro4;an114. - tho+ rsa,,,a,,, ~ ;
ing people, who were convinced that tn,
were making war of defense we
. alone guilty.
~ ''Nobcdy viii want to contend tn
p the disaster took its course only in {
disastrous moment when the success
to the throne of Austria Hungary f
the victim of murderous hands
= the last 80 years the imperialism of
u the European states has chronical
N poisoned the International situate
S, The policy OF relation and the poll
sad Of expansion and the disregard of t
far rights Of peoples TO determine til,
r rst own destiny have contributed to /
NV illness of Europe, which saw its cri
not IN the world war. h.
i've Russian mobilization took from t
she statesmen the possibility of healil
ter and gave the decisioli into The han
ost Of The military powers. Public OPP
dy. ION in all the countries Of our adv
CT saries. is resonnding, with the erin
son which Germany is said to have co
TX mitted in the war Here also we ;
~, ready to confess wrong that may ha
lid oeeli -, qoi,e. -
tin we navy n.y. ooiiie mere 10 peilt
our the responsibility u the men VINO ma
be Waged the war pohlieally and eeonor
for cally, or to deny any crimes which III