Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-05-08
ENEMY ENJOYS ARE
ARROGANT AT MEET
Continued from Page OneD

Rantzau half an hour to reply to
/ Premier CIemenceau.
! The speech was translated SEN
tence by sentence by the German
interpreters, who did not fail to
bring out with full emphasis every
| sharp phrase in il and President
| Wilson and Premiers Clemenceau
and Lloyd George put their heads
| together in evident anger at more
/ than one of the German spokes-
mans cutting utterances, as if they
were celebrating upon the advis-
ability of an immediate answer.
Session Soon Concluded.
The program was unaltered
| however, and when the German
plenipotentiary had finished Pre-
/ mier Clemenceau arose and put the
customary phrase;
Has any one further observa-
| tions to make2" and when there
was no response. continued, Il then
/ declare the session closed"
The allied trumvirate remained
after the German delegates had left
or a half hour discussion of the
new situation.
The scene within the hall had
none of the pomp and glitter Of
! earlier peace conference.-the dis
/ play of court and military uni
forms such as marked the con-
crosses of Berlin and Vienna, no
theatrical ceremonial.
Plainly a World Congress.
At the head of the table. striking
faces of Premiers Clemenceau and
Lloyd George and President Will
son attracted every eye. Marshal
Foch. sitting with the French dele
cation at the head of one of the
side tables was also conspicuous.
The bearded faces of the Serbian
stateman. NJ Pachitch, and the
Greek premier. NJ. NenizelOs, as
well as the familiar head of Ignace
Jan Paderewski, Polish premier.
also stood out. The impressive
faces of the Japanese representa-
tives, the Oriental lineaments of
the Chinese, the brown counte-
nances of the Arabs from Hedjaz,
and the two delegates from Liberia
and Haitia. gave evidence that this
was really a world congress.
Huns Act Like VictOrS.
The Germans who entered the
chamber with all the confidence OF
victors bore themselves without
trace of nervousness and acted as
if they were on equal terms with
their adversaries.
A crowd of correspondents and
officials began arriving at AN early
q o. fa1a NJ Is
brought in huge armfuls of the
printed conditions OF peace and dis
tributed them, one copy to each
delegation. The Germans only
were excepted. their copy being de-
livered to them at 3:l7 O'Clock dur
ing the translation OF Premier
Clemenceau's speech.
Delegates Arrive.
Al 2:25 o'clock Premier Clemen-
ceau and Stephen Pichon, the
French foreign minister, entered
for d final survey OF the arrange
ments and then let to await the ar
rival of President Wilson. Secre-
tary of State Lansing also appeared
for an instant at 2:30 p. m. The
minor delegates were streaming
into the room and virtually all
were assembled when at 200
O'Clock President Wilson, accom-
panied by other American dele
gates, and Premier ClemenCeau and
Premier Lloyd George entered the
room and moved informally into
their places at the head of the Ia
BILE.
Premier Orlando and Foreign
Minister Sonnino of Italy followed
an instant later Both shook hands
with President Wilson and Premier
Clemenceau before seeking their
places.
After a five minutes wait, the
Germans entered preceded by a
functionary of the French govern
men. who announced:
'Messieurs, the German dele
gates"
There was some little confusion
among the Germans while they
were finding their places. Coun-
Won Brockdorif- Rantzau took the
center chair, with his five col
leagues and Director Won Stockham-
mer of the foreign office, thanking
him on either side.
NO Discussion" Foes Told.
NJ. Clemenceau, as president of
the congress, then declared the ses-
sion open. He started Immediately
upon his opening speech, pausing 10
permit this TO be translated into
English and German by French IN
terpreters. The translation into the
German was decidedly faulty and
hating. The premier then address,
cd the Germans again to explain the
conditions OF the negotiations, tell
ing them no oral discussion wound
be permitted and that they must