Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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IHK SUMTER WATCHMAX. ?stab' s Consolidated Aug:. 2,1 T SESSION ?NGRESS Opening Address Made by Pres ident Poincare of France. WILSON NOMINATES CLEM ENCEAU FOR CHAIRMAN r Chairman Outlines Work of Con gress?Three of Larger Sub jects Responsibility for War, for Crimes During War and Labor Legislation. - Paris, Jan. IS.?The peace confer - ence, destined to be historic, and on - which the eyes of the world are now ?* centered, was opened this afternoon in the great Salle De La Pairix. Pre mier Clemenceau announced that the league of nations, would be the first r'subject taken up at the next full - meeting of the conference. Today's proceedings which were w confined ;to the election of Georges Clemenceau, the French premier, as permanent chairman of the confer .- ence, an. address of welcome by the J president of the French republic, ?' Raymond Poincare, and speeches by President Wilson, Premier Lloyd George and Baron Sonnino, were . characterized by expressions of last ing friendship and the apparent deter mination of the representatives of the ' various nations to come to an amica ble understanding with respect to the . problems to be decided by the confer , ence. When President Poincare spoke, ? the entire asembly stood, and the fact that, according to custom, no ap i plause greeted his utterance gave : greater solemnity to the scene. M. Clemenceau's acceptance of the j presidency of the congress was both . a feeling expression of personal grati . tude and a definite outline of the ;\ great questions immediately ahead. ?? Three of these "larger general sub i .iects he defined as repsonsibility for the war, responsibility for crimes ? during the war and international ? labor legislation^ The league of na ~tions; he declared,, was at the head of the program for the next full ses sion. "Our ambition is a grea? and noble *J one." said M. Clemenceau." "We wish . to avoid a repetition of the catastro phe which bathed the world in blood. If the league of nations is to be prac ticable we must all remain united. Let us carry out our program quickly and in effective manner." Referring to the authors of the war, he said he had consulted two emi nent jurists on the penal responsibil ity of the former German emporor. and each delegate would receive a copy of that report. In -all seventy-two seats were pro vided for the opening session of the peace conference. On the outer side of the great horse shoe were arranged the Japanese, the British and Colon ial delegates and the seat of the fifth British delegate. A chair for ih^ Sfth American delegate also was re served Immediately to the right of the table of honor. The Italian, Belgian, Brazilian, Cuban. Haitian. Peruvian. Portugese. Serbinal. C2echo-Slovakien and Uru v- guayan delegates sat in the order named. Across ft the left wing of the table sat the Siamese, Rumanian. Polish, Liberian. Hedjas. Guatemalan. Ecuadorean, Chinese and Bolivian delegations. As the delegations arrived they were met by fanfares of trumpets and accorded military honors by the troops. The Japanese were among the earlier arrivals and were followed by the Siamese and East Indians in picturesque turbans. President Wilson's arrival at ten minutes of Z was the signal for a dem onstration from the crowds. The ? president passed into the ante-cham ber, where M. Pichon. the French for eign minister, awaited and conducted him to the council room. Already the chamber was crowded with delegate? who greeted president Wilson warmly as he passed toward the table of honor. Here he was join ed by Secretary Lansing. Mr. "White and Gen. Bliss, and exchanged greet ings with the British and many oth er delegates. Just at 3 o'clock a ruffle of drums and blare of trumpets announced the .approach of M. Poincare. The French president was escorted by the group of premiers to the head of the table, while a hush fell upon the assemblage as the moment arrived for the open ing of the congress. It was exactly three minutes past 3 o'clock when M. Poincare began his address and the peace congress came into being. The entire assemblage stood as the president spoke. Presi dent Wilson stood immediately at his right and listened attentively. M". Voincare spoke in an earnest, easy manner, without declamatory effort, and, following usage, there was no applause or interruption. M. Poincare spoke in French and when he had concluded an interpreter read the discourse in English. As M. Poincare closed he turned to receive the congratulations of Presi dent Wilson and Premier Lloyd George and then wtihdrew. greeting each delegation as he retired. President Wilson said, as M. Poin- i care made his exit: "It gives me great pleasure to propose as perma nent chairman of the conference Mr.; Clemenceau." "j President Wilson spoke irr conver-' sationa! voice which, however, car-j ried through the chamber, as he kked April, 1830. "B? Jan i 881. v SU GUARD AGAINST FUTURE WA League of Nations Now Seems i Certain as Leaders Are I Getting Together. PEACE Or WORLD CHIEF CONCERN OF CONGRESS f. : j Representatives of the Leading ! Powers at Peace Conference ' Draw Together on Structure j to Bring World Back to Nor ! mal Status?Support of AH ! Promised for Great Enter j prise. I _ ! ? Paris, Jan. 19.?(By the Associated ! Press.)?The plans for a league of ; nations have been reduced to very ; definite form. The general indica i tions are that the statesmen of the i principal nations are steadily draw j ing together on a structure which will jhave the^support of all, the informal i discussions having brought the com | munity of ideas to a point where it may reasonably be expected soon to appear on paper. It is understood that the general plan which is now most approved in substance by all the parties concerned rejects the theory of the super-sov ereignty of an international police j force. It also contemplates the work | ing out, as the development of the I league progresses, one of the ? most i delicate questions of all?disarma ! ment?which par: *rly affects the ! British navy Th. .ume principle, it j is proposed, shall apply to the other i nations associated in the war against j Germany. The idea is founded on the argu ment that no nation wouid dispose of instruments by which it expects to defend itself until it has been demon strated that the forces proposed as a substitute will be efficient. In opinion of international lawyers, such decisions will remove from ac tual settlement by the peace confer ence at this sitting at least, many questions on which complete agree jment might not be expected now, but upon which full accord seems prob able as the development of the plans for a league of nations advance. Such a plan will delegate to vari ous commissions and committees de i tailed problems which shall be re ! ported with recommendations to the .'league itself. The probability of such ja plan being adopted justifies pre I vious forecasts that the principal ac i complishments of the peace con | ferenco as it now sits in Paris will be ?agreement on broad general princ iples, leaving the details to be applied j.in accord therewith and the making ; of a preliminary peace which will re j turn the world at the earliest mo I ment possible to its normal status, j Callers at the Paris "White House" I today were Senator Leonard Bour l geois, the league of nations specialist j on the French peace delegation; Lord i Robert Cecil, who occupies a similiar j position for the British, and Gen. Dan j Christian Smuts, the South African j leader, who also has a plan for a so j ciety of nations. President Wilson thus had an op | portunity to discuss the French and I British viewpoints on this question j and to get further ahead with the i work of reconciling the different pro , jects with his own ideas. j paid eloquent tribute to the French ! premier. ! Prembier Lloyd George seconded : the nomination of Clemenceau. speak ing earnestly of the distinguished ser vice the French premier had rend lered in war and peace. j Baron Sonnino. the Italian foreign minister, added Italy's tribute, where ; upon the election of M. Clemenceau j as presiding officer was made unani | raous. j In a feeling address M. Clemenceau acknowledged the honor conferred ! upon him. He turned first to President ; Wilson and bowed his thanks, then to Mr. Lloyd George for the tribute he hed paid him. It was not alone a ! tribute to him, he said, but to France. 'We have come together as ?friends." he exciaimed; "we must , leave this hall as friends." Referring i to the league of nations M. Clemen ! ceau declared it was already in the '? way of being achieved by the gath ering of this conference. He then turned to the program of the conference, which he said covered the main objects of general order: First, responsibility of the authors of the war; second, responsibility for the crimes committed during the ? war: rhird. legislation in regard to interna tional labor. All the powers represented would /?be invited to present memoirs on these three questions. The powers having particular interest. Mr. Clem enceau continued, would be asked to present further memoirs upon terri torial, financial and economical ques tions. "The league of nations will be placed at the head of the order of the day of the next full session." M. Clemenceau announced as he con-1 eluded his address. He paused for further suggestions of business and as none was made declared the ses sion adjourned. It was 4.30 o'clock and the open-. inc: session had lasted one hour and a half. Xo exact time was fixed for the reassembling of the full session of the conference, as that awaits the call of the supreme council of the; five .treat powers, which probably will! meet Monday morning. 1 mm rod Fear not?Let ill the ends Tbou A] rMTER, S. C, WEDNES 'PEACE CONGRESS ! RULES ADOPTED Chart by Which Delegates Will Steer Their Courses Toward Peace Haven. ?BASIS OF REPRESENTATION OF NATIONS FIXED j Peace Conference Regulations ! Give Representation for Belli I gerent Powers and Determine Subjects on Which They Shall ! Vote?Publicity Entrusted to j Secretarial. Paris, Jan. 19.?Following are th* j peace conference regulations, which j were made public officially today: - Section 1, The conference assem bled to fix the conditions of peace, first in the preliminaries of peace and then in the definite treatv of peace, shall include the representatives of the belligerent allied and associated powers. f. The belligerent powers with general interests, the United States of Ameri ca, the British empire, France, Italy and Japan, shaP uke part in ?11 meet ings and CO' missions. The belli gerent pow-rs with particular interest. BeU: Brazil, the British domin ions and India. China. Cuba, Greece, Guatemala, Hati, Hedjaz, Honduras, Liberia. Xicaraugua. Panama, Poland, Portugal. Roumania, Servia. Siam and the Szecho-SIovak republic, shall take part in the sittings at which questions concerning them are dis cussed. The powers in a state of diplomatic rupture with the enemy powers,. Boli via, Ecuador. Peru and Uruguay, shall take part in the sittings at wh^ch questions concerning them are dis j cussed. The neutral powers and states in 'process of formation may be heard } either, orally or in writing when sum I moned by the powers with general interests at sitting?; devoted especially to-the. examination of questions direct ly concerning them but only so far as these questions are concerned. Sec. 2. The powers shall be repre sented by plenipotentiary delegates the number of five for the United States of America, the British em pire, France, Italy and Japan; three for Belgium, Brazil anrf Servia; two for China, Greece, the King of Hed jas, Poland, Portugal, Roumania. Siam and the Czecho-Slovak republic; one for Cuba, Guatemala. Haiti, Hon duras. Liberi-. Nacaragua and Pana ma; one for Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru ar d Uruguay. The British dominions and India j shall be reperesented as follows: Two j delegates each for Austria, Canada, j South Africa and India, including the j native states; one delegate for New ! Lealand. j Although the number of delegates j may not exceed the . figures above i mentioned, each delegation has the j rirrht to avail itself of the. panel sys Ltem. The representation of the do ! minions, including New Foundland, jand of India may be included in the j representation of the British by the ! pane'i system. j Montenegro shall be represented by I one delegate, but the rules concerning [the designation of this delegate shall ! not be fixed until the-moment when j the political situation of this country I shall have been cleared up. The con i ditlons of the representation of Rus ! sia shall be fixed by the* conference jat the moment wh -n the matters con j corning Russia are examined. : Each delegation of plenipotentiaries I may be accompanied by technical del I earates. properly accredited and by j two stenographers. I The technical delegates may be j present at the sittings for the purpose j of furnishing information which may j be asked of them. They shall be al j lowed to speak for the purpose of I giving any desired explanations. Sec. 4. The delegates take preced ence according to the alphabetical j order, in French, of the powers, j Sec. 5. The conference will bo de clared open by the president of the ' French republic. The president of the j council of French ministers will he j invested temporarily with the chair manship. A committee composed of ' one plenipotenatiary of each of the great allied or associated powers shall j proceed at once to establish the auth entication of the credentials of all the members present. Sec. 7. In the course of the first meeting the conference will proceed to appoint a permanent president and: four vice presidents chosen from the plenipotentiaries of the great powers in alphabetical order. Sec. 7. A secretarial, appointed from outside the plenipotentiaries. composeVl of one representative of the United States of America, one of the British empire. onr? of France, one of Italy and one of Japan will be sub mitted to the approval of the confer ence by the president, which will be the controlling authority responsible for its operations. This secretarial will be entrusted with the care of drafting the protocols of th^ meeting, of classifying the achives, of providing for the admin istration and organization of ?h<- con ference and generally of insuring the regular and punctual working of th service entrusted to it. The head of the secretarial shall have charge of and be responsible for the protocols The archieves will always be open to the members of the conference. Sec. S. The publicity of the pro inwt at be thy Courn-ry1*. '.i^y t^xi'a i JDAY, JANUARY 22,. 1J SEND MISSION ? ! TO GERMANY jPIan to Obtain Informaion Con ! sidered by American Peace Delegates. RELATIONS WITH GER I MANS AUTHORIZED i i t j Will Gather Direct and Reliable Information on Conditions in j All Parts of Germnay. Paris, Jan. 20.?A proposal to es ?j tsWish an unofficial American "em ' bossy** in Germany is under consider t; ation by the American delegates to j the peace conference. The proposed ; mission would have no relations with j the German authorities. Its func , tions would be confined to gathering ? direct and reliable information on ; j conditions and events in Berlin and in ijlhe provinces, without which, it is i contended any satisfactory discussion I of German problems is difficult. .J _ . I Georgia Deserter j Captured j Murderer of Sheriff of Jackson County .Taken by Posse. - Athens. Ca.. Jan. 20.?Horace Lan j ders, an alleged deserter from the i army, who shot and killed Sheriff C. j D. Barber of Jackson county, near \ Winder, Sunday night, was captured i by a posse at Gainesville early to \ da>' GUEST OP FRENCH SENATE. i ? - - i President ;WHson Lunches With Dis tinguished Body. j Paris, Jan. 20.?President Wilson j was the'guest of the French senate at luncheon today. He greeted Antonine DuBois; president, who in an eulo gistic address said the senate wel i coined President Wilosn and his ideas jceedings shall be insured by official jcommunique prepared by the secre tarial and made public. In case of 'disagreement as to the drafting of i these communiques the matter shall ? be referred to the principal plehi \ potentiaries or their representatives. Sec. 9 Reserved. ] Sec. 10.?All documents intended j for inclusion in the protocols must be : handed in in writing by the plenipo tentiaries presenting them. No docu I ment may be submitted save by one j of the plenipotentiaries or in his j name. j Sec. 11. Plenipotentaries wishing to imake a proposal not connected with ; the question on the aganda or not ?arising from the }discussion shall give : notice of the same 24 hours in ad ! vance in order to facilitate the dis-< leussion. However exceptions can be made to this rule in the case of( amendment or secondary questions, ! but not in the case of substantive pro I posals. Sec. 12. Petitions, memoranda, observations or docuxnnts forwarded I to the conference by any persons oth- j ! er than plenipotentiaries must be re ("Ceived and classsified by the secretar-; ial. Such of these communications as ' are just political will be summarized j ! in a list to be determined to all [plenipotentiaries. This list will be I kept up to date as analogous commu ? nications are rceived. All such docu | rnents will be deposited in the ar : chives. j Sec. 13. The discussion of the ques ! tions to be decided will comprise a ; first and second reading. The first will consist of the general subject with j th?- object of obtaining an agreement j on matters of importance. Subse j guently there will be a second read ! ing f<>r a more detailed examination. ! Sec. 14. The plenipotentiaries shall j have the right, subject to the agree ] iv.ent with the conference, to outhor j ise * heir technical delegates to sub jject technical explanation on such I points as may be deemed lawful. ! If the conference thinks advisable, j the technical examinations of any! I particular question may be entrusted j t to a committee of technical delegates (whose duty will be to report and sug gest solutions. Sec. 15. The proctocols drawn up by j the secretarial shall be printed and; distributed in proof to the - delegates! j in the shortest possible time. To ex pedite the work by the conference the j communications thus made in ad-j ? vance shall take the place of the read- j ing of the protocols at the beginning j j of each meeting. If no alteration is { j proposed by the plenipotentiaries the i j text shall! be deemed approved and! entered in the archives. If any a lteration is proposed, its j text shall be read by the president at j the beginning of the following meet ing. In any case the protocol must be read out in full at the request of! any plenipotentiary. Sec. 1C. A committee shall he! formed for drafting the resolution: adopted. This committee shall eon-j corn itself with only questions which j have been decided. Its sole duty shall " eb to draw up the text o*" the decision adopted and to prosent it for tho ap proval of the conference. U shall be composed of five mem -! bers not forming part of the plem-1 p'otcntiary delegates and composed of, one representative of the United j States of America, one of the British ! empire." one of France, one of Italy j and one of Japan. . . ^ ? '? HMfc Twjfc'a." THE TBXj )19. RUSSIA PUZZLES PEACE DELEGATES [Situation There Taken up by \ Congress at Today's Ses j sion. i j - FRENCH AMBASSADOR MADE ADDRESS i j j Danish Minister to Petrograd i Who Recently Left Russia j Will Speak Tomorrow. I ' - Paris, Jan. 20.?The situation in j Russia was taken up by the supreme j council a: today's session. Joseph i Noulens, French ambasadc i Rus j sia. addressed the council . Russian j question, according to the official j statement regarding the proceedings, j The next meeting is to be held to j morrow morning to hear remarks by M'. Scavenius, Danish minister to ) Petrograd, who left the Russian capi j tal very recently. ?????????? I The Packers Made Immense Profits The Food Administration Not to Blame. Wellington. Jan. 17.?Food admin istration regulations neither regulat ed profits of the meat packers nor benefited the public or the consumer. Stuart Chase, an .expert accountant i employed by the federal trade com mission, told the senate agricultural committee today in presenting figures to show that profits of the five big /packing concerns had doubled and trended during the war. Mr. Chase, who was testifying at hearings on the Kindrick bill pro^id i ing for government supervision of the meat industry, said no one knows ac curately what the packers' earnings are because their methods of book keeping have the effect of covering up Iheir profits. He declared, however, that examinations by the commission of the books of Armour and Company, Morris & Company. Swift & Company ""Wilson & Company?and the -Gudafe? .'Company showed that their aggregate profits in 1912 were $1S,715,000 and ;n 1817, $95,639.000. Based on capi tal stock. Mr. Chase said Morris & Company's profits in 1917 were 267.7 ?per cent., and that on the same basis Armour & Company's profits in 1916 i'were 111,2 per cent. Because of the I- late increase in capital stock the per centago of Armour & Company drop ped to 27.1 in 1917. Swift & Com pany's profits in 1917 on the same .basis were 63 per cent., while those of the Cudahy Company in 1917 were 23.2 per cent, based on capital and surplus. Wilson & Company's earn ings.for the same year were 29.6 per cent, on the combined capital and : surplus. Embargo on Cotton Arouses Protest Senators and Representatives of ' Southern States Including Smith and Lever Cable Wilson. Washington, Jan. 17.?President Wilson was urged in a cablegram sent today by a joint committee from the cotton States to raise the embargo on cotton. Senator Smith of South Caro lina, who with Representative Lever of that State, are chairmen of the ?enate and house committees, said he was appealed to because it was be lieved impossible to enact during the present session legislation amending the cotton futures act. "We ask that embargo on cotton be ? lifted. Necessity urgent, especially for j low grades, which depend for con- j sumption on foreign markets now un- j der embargo. We alsp trust you mayj provide for cotton shipments to Ger- j many and Austria so soon as it is con-! sistent with the policy agreed upon." ] Signing the cablegram were Sena-! tors Smith of South Carolina, Sim mons. Sheppard. McKellar and Smith; of Georgia, and Representatives Lev- j er. Lee of Georgia, Hefiin, Young of; Texas, and Jacoway of Arkansas. Riots in Berlin Spatacans Attempt to Destroy ; Ballot Boxes. London. Jan. I'*'1.? Rioting occurred in Berlin last night after the Sparta cans had attempted to destroy the bal- | lot boxes used in Sunday's elections, according to an Exchange Telegraph dispatch from Copenhagen. The Spartacans were repulsed everywhere. Foch Determined Will Break Off Armistice if ! Terms are Not Fulfilled. f Paris, Jan. IS.?(Havas).?Marshal Foch, according to The Matin, will immediately break off the armistice with Germany if the conditions of tho armistice are not fulfilled. The allied commander-iri-chief. the n'-wspaner adds, docs not believe that the Germans exaggerate when they cry ? famine" The situation of the populations of Austria and Prussia, the Marshal is quoted as saying, is. near the starvation point. ^ E SOUTHRON.. EfbtfaW June, Mt? Vol.XLVH. No46. Iakerthe ? ! arch criminal I French Jurists Report on Ena, peror's Responsibility. {SPECIAL COURT TO BE CREATED TO TRY HM jLarnaude and Dc Lapradelle \ Consider The Hague Incom petent to Try Hohenzollem. ! _ j Paris, Jan. 19.?Some pofhts in the \ report to which Premier Clemeneeau i referred yesterday when he said he ! had consulted two eminent jurists on j the penal responsibility of the former' ; i German emperor wejje made public/ today. The report was drawn up by ! Ferdinand Larnaude, dean of the I Paris law faculty, and Dr. A. G. 3pe I Lapradelle, professor of rights of narf.J jtions in the same faculty. The object of the inquiry was to in ! vestigate from! a purely . juristical _ I point of view if the crimes conimit i ted by the German government and iarmy involved the penal r,esponsib?ity i of the former German emperor, what 1 tribunal should judge him and wheth er his extradition could be demanded. The authors of the report give a long argument against bringing the ex-emperor before tribunal of com mon law because his will command ed but his hand did not execute, j They say that he was not the prinei j pal offender and that therefore 'he i could only be punished as an accom jplice. An international tribunal con jsequently must be founded. They j consider The Hague arbitration court. founded at the 1899 conference in competent to try him, as the court . was meant for cases where no pen alty is to be applied. They argue that an entirely new jurisdiction be creat ed which should be the first instru1* ment of a league of nations and in which should appear exclusively the states which fought Germany. The two French jurists prove ihat^, the extradition of the former German ruler can hot be refused, as he is not a political refugee. The'report says: "It is anti-jurisdical to assimilate war with conspiracy. Crimes of war ' ^ftye '??imes- -of publie -law-ami?inter j national law, not political crimes." The authors of the ' report com mence by establishing that no penal-1 ty is possible against a nation any | more than against a company, but that the manager or director of a company can be punished. "The emperor in the first nlace," says the report, "as king of Prussia 'is president of the confederation by virtue of a special law in which hu man will does not enter. The German' sovereign depends only on God and I the sword. With such a conception of j power it would be unjuridical to the [highest degree to allow the emperor j to escape responsibility for his ac Itior.; his responsibility for the war for which, under the constitution, the i decision belonged to him alone; his i responsibility for violation of Belgian neutrality, which was willed by him; I his responsibility for acts of terror j ism by his troops, which he willed and x ordered." The report quotes a letter from the former emperor to the emperor of I Austria in the early days of the war in which the Germna emperor wrote: "My soul is torn asunder, but every thing must be put to fire and blood. The throats of men and women, chil dren and the aged must be cut and not a tree nor a house left standing. "With such methods ?of terror which alone can strike so degenerate a people as the French, the war will finish before two months, while if I use humanitarian methods it may prolong for years. Despite all my repugnance. I have had to choose the first system." The words "T" \nd "my" in the let ter are italicised in the report. *? "Modern law," the report continu ed "does not recognize irresponsible authorities, even at the summit of hierarchy, it brings a state down from its pedestal and makes it sub mit to the rule of the judge. "'There can therefore be no ques tion of saving from the judge a man who is at the summit of hierarchy. Either by the application of inter nal or of into-national law." Epidemic in Marion Marion Health Board Puts on In fluenza Quarantine. Marien. Jan. 19.?Spanish influen za has again become prevalent in Ma rion and the board of health has or der- d stopped all public gatherings, including schools, churches and pie Lure shows. In addition to this, visit ing between families is prohibit ed and it is required to keep ill children in the family on their own premises. During the epidemic last fall. Marion suffered less than a great nany towns in this section and it is loped that these precautions will pre ,-ens the disease from becoming any vorse now. IX "HANDS OF RECEIVER. Memphis Railway Company Flics Pe tition in Federal Court. Memphis. Jan. 2<h?The Memphis Railway Company placed in the hands of receivers today on petition filed with the federal court by the com pany's attorneys. President Tut veiler and Frank Elgin, attorney, vere named as receivers.