Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1919-01-22
laE GREAT PARIS
CONFERENCE BEGUN
Present Poicare OF France Delivers Remarkable Address
2NSMnd Turns Conference Over to Delegates Of Nations


ferense5gWas formally opened this
AFTERNOON with speech by President
PoinGare, of France.
tRr$sident Poincare thanked the
Alliea Snations for having chosen
,.'agtsg Tor their important work and
praised the valor of the Allied
armtss, which had preserved the
oapttal#of France from the enemy.
Z hnSPresident's speech was as fol-
lowsssl
SSs&Stentlemen: IN France greets and
thapks You for having chosen as the
seat0f your labors the city which
for iif6re than four years the enemy
has made his principal military OBJ
1eotlVe,S and which the valor of the
AllssSsaz 90 armies has yictoriously de-
fendedf against increasingly renewed
offsHsives.
Sss;,R Rermit me to see in your decision
thsSfomage Of all the nations that
YOU ollis represent toward country
which I more than any other, has en-
dGred the sufferings of war, of which
entire provinces have been trans
fdrI5edA into vast battlefield and
naye been Systematically laid waste
byS ehe invader, and which has paid
the slluman tribute in death.
B III slFfance has borne these enormous
sacrIfices, although she had not the
slightest responsibility for the fright
fulSS catastrophe which has over
WhSlmed the universe. And at the
m0naent when the cycle Of horror Is
endfng, all the powers whose dele
gatfs are assembled here may acquit
I \ Sly ''sslyes Of any share in the crime
sSlt fsyt has resulted in so unprecel
dented a disturbance. What gives
you the authority to establish
peace Of Justice is the fact that none
Of the peoples Of whom you are the
delegates has had any part in the
injustice. Humanity can place con-
1idence in you because you are not
among those who have outraged the
rights Of humanity.
Tho Truth known.
"There is no need Of further in
formation or for special inquiries
into the origin of the drama which
has just shaken the world. The
truth, bathed in blood, has already
escaped from the imperial archives.
The premeditated character Of the
trap is to-day clearly proved.
''In the hope Of conquering first
the hegemony Of Europe and next
the mastery of the world, the Cen
trail Powers, bound together by
secret plot, found the most abomin-
able pretexts for trying to crush
Serbia and force their way to the
cast. At the same time they dis
| owned the most solemn undertaking
in order to crush Belgium and force
their way into the heart of France.
Man-made Arrogance.
"These are the two unforgettable
outrages which opened the way to
| aggression. The combined efforts
Of Great Britain, France and Russia
were exerted against that man-made
arrogance.
"If after the vicissitudes those who
wished to reign by the sword have
persisted by the sword, they have
only themselves to blame. They
have been destroyed by their own
blindness.
What could be more significant
than the shameful BIZ, gains they at
tempted to offer to Great Britain
and France at the end OF July, 1914,
when to Great Britain they suggest
cd: ALLOW us to attack France on
land and we will not enter the chan
nell and when they instructed their
ambassador to say to France: we
will only accept a declaration Of
neutrality on your part if you sur
render to us Briey, Toul and Ver-
dun!' 1t is in tho light Of these
things, gentlemen, that all of the
conclusions you will have to draw
from the war will take shape.
TO Save Belgium.
your nations entered the war
successfully, but came one and all
to help Of threatened right. Like
Germany, Great Britain had guaran-
teed the independence of Belgium.
Germany sought to crush Belgium.
Great Britain and France both swore
to save her.
"Thus from Tho YnrY hepinninn nf