Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1919-07-09
Great Covenant Sealed in Record
Time; Foes First to
Affix Names.
WILSON, CLEMENCEAU AND
LLOYD GEORGE NEXT
HALL of Mirrors Scene of the Most
Impressive Ceremony of Its Kind in
the History OF the WorId-Signing
Brings to Close the Greatest War.

Versailles, June 28.-The peace
treaty has been signed.
The world war, which for more
than four years ravaged the greater
part of Europe, was ended officially
at 3:45 O'Clock today, when cannon
doomed, announcing that the last
plenipOtentiary to the conference had
affixed his signature to the peace
treaty.
The delegates, in addition to sign
fixed their signature to the Rhine
protocol and the Polish undertaking.
Germans First to Sign.
The meeting-epOchal in the worlds
histOry-in the Hall of Mirrors in the
Chateau Louis XIV, began at $40
the first to sign, had affixed their
names at 3 :13.
The signing was done within few
yards of the spot in the same hall
where William l had himself been
crowned emperor of Germany on Janu-
airy Is, 1871, and where the German
empire was proclaimed.
Wilson Affixes Signature.
The American delegates, headed by
President Wilson, were the second to
sign, the American executive placing
his name below that of DR.. Johannes
Bell, the second of the German en-
Yoys.
Then the plenipotentiaries of Great
Britain, its colonies, France, Japan,
and Italy signed, followed by repre-
sentatives of the minor powers in al
phabetical order, with Belgium in the
lead.
China Refuses to Sign.
Three incidents of moment marred
the signing of the treaty.
Chinas delegates did not attend
declining to sign because they were
not permitted to make reservations.
The plenipotentiaries had written
Premier Clemenceau, president of the
peace conference, that they would not
be present and that they were await
ing instructions from their govern
ment.
SHUTS Enters Protest.
Gen. Jan Christian Smuts,, one of
the delegates representing the Union
Of South Africa, signed under protest.
He objected to certain territorial set
Elements, declaring that the indemni-
ties stipulated could not be accepted
without grave injuries to the indus
trial revival of Europe.
He declared it would be to the in
terests of the allied and associated
powers to make the stipulations more
tolerable and moderate.
Unknown to the public, but of great
moment, was a protest by the German
delegates. Herr Haniel Won Haimhau-
sen, secretary of the German delega-
ton, declared to Colonel Henri, French
liascn officer, that 1--WE cannot admit
that the German delegates should
enter the hail by a different door than
the entente delegates; nor that mill
tary hOnOrs should be withheld Had
we known there would be such ar
engagements before the delegates would
not have come"
After a conference it was decided as
a compromise to render military hon
ors as the Germans left.
Solemn Undertaking."-cIe
Premier Clemenceau's opening re-
marks were:
The session is open. The allied and
associated powers, on the one side,
and the German commission, on the
other side, have come to an agreement
on the conditions of peace.
''The text has been completed and
drafted and the president of the con-
ference has stated in writing that the
text that is about to be signed now is
10 be signed now is identical with the
200 copies that have been delivered to
the German delegation.
THE signatures viii be given now.
and they amount TO a solemn under
taking faithfully and Loyalty to exc
cute the conditions embodied by this
treaty of peace.
Il now invite the delegates of the
German reich to sign the treaty"
The credentials of the new German
delegates were approved by the peace
conference authorities during the fore
noon and everything was virtually in
readiness here at an early hour for
the ceremony set for three o'clock in
the afternoon. The morning had been
a cloudy one. but shortly before mid
day the clouds began to break and the