South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1922-12-13
Veteran French Diplomat |:
Ready to Sail for Home
After Final Address.

NEW YORK, Dec. 12-(By a. P)
Surrounded by friends OF France
in a hall festooned with the flags
OF America and his own land,
George Clemenceau tonight came to
the end of his peace mission and
took leave of the United States, He
appeared in the grand ball room of
Hotel Pennsylvania before 1900
members OF the American Commit
tee for Devastated France. Imme-
diately after he had spoken ne mot
orted TO the steamer Paris. on which
he sails homo tommorrow.
The Tiger of France received ova-
ton after ovation-first when he
entered the hall 10 the stre rs Of
The Star Spangled Banner" again
when he was referred TO in an ad-
dress by Jules J. Jusserand, French
ambassador 10 the United States;
again when he was introduced by
Owen Wister, and several times
/ during his brief talk.
Tiger" Speaks Briefly.
/ Clemenceau spoke only about ten
minutes, explaining that he was
tired, had a sore throat and wanted
/ to 60 TO bed
L cannot find words" ne began,
ito express my gratitude for 90
kind a welcome. l had made up my
mind about a week ago to make
l here tonight a long and elaborate
| speech to prove a great many
things that need not be proved. and
| TO tell you many things which you
I know as we'll as 1 do. But Miss Anne
! Morgan chairman of the commit
tee) was good enough to let me
known that I had better not speak,
and l agreed with her opinion.
Why should l speak? have
got u sore throat. 1 am tired, / am
old and I want very much to so TO
bed.
Repeats Message.
But all this will not prevent me
from saying once more what ought
| 10 say. l came 10 this country 10
accomplish a duty which nobody
asked me to accomplish, and some
people even did not seem TO like the
.dea that was going 10 do my duty.
came 10 appeal TO the American
| mind. and the answer came from
| American hearts. l could not do
otherwise but give my heart TO
those who gave their hearts 10 my
! country.
Il want simply TO tell you that
we acknowledge Il. that we are ever
/ thankful for It. When the Amer
cans came they raised among us
\ great hopes. We had been promised,
end Of the war. pity, generosity. al
the great dreams that man has been
promenad.ng with himself under the
stars Those dreams have never been
realized. We were told they were 60
ing 10 be and we all believed il and
the soldiers above al believed IT,
and II was as nothing for them TO
give their lives 20 obtain such a very
high aim. the aim that every great
nation had always tried 20 get bu;
never could.
But now a sorry time had come
No more question OF killing. or dy-
ing. OF inflicting wounds and bleed
ing, now the time for peace, that Is
for duties which may be harder
than it seems.
Denies Militarism Charge.
America left after having disln-
terested herself from the execution
OF the treaty. I know the feeling
was all right. do not suspect a
| moment there was on American
I heads anything than this. that they
had accomplished their duty and
| could leave the right 10 other times,
But as far as I am concerned, ]
suffered very much more when
heard we were charged with being
m!l!tarlsts and imperialists IN Amer
ca. and that made me jump from
my very pheasant seat on the ocean
and come 10 America 10 ask you
" hat was the matter. The matter
was YOU thought France was mill
,arist.c and imper.aiist.c, when Ger
many was militaris;ic and imperial
.stic. And the fact was that as soor
as YOU understood I heard but one
cry-'Vive "a France"
Il end by this simple word, which
have repeated very often. and
4 which want vou rp DOufer.