Y of Geneva, 19. Jan. (Priv.-Tel.) In the Ministry of the Aueßeren in Paris yesterday, the Congress opened, the the the Central powers to be imposed the conditions of peace. The ceremonies were, as in the case of such diplomatic gatherings is customary, regulated in advance. France, the home of the Congress, the presidency, and President Poincare opened it with a speech, in which he signed the program of consultations:
In the first line to pass the Congress, all blame for the war on Germany, and to sit on its political and military leaders to court. The new peace is to be prepared by the countries of the Entente wishes and against future wars under the protection of the Association of the peoples in Germany for some decades, the role of the repentant sinner reserved. After the speech, Poincaré, President Wilson proposed in the name of the Assembly to appoint Clemenceau to the Executive Chairman. Lloyd George and Sonnino supported the proposal, which was of course accepted without objection. The three representatives of the United States, England and Italy had very gracious words for the Person Clemenceaus, but every Comment on the technical work of the conference.
Clemenceau, acknowledged in a short speech of thanks, that it is not his Person but his office as French Prime Minister, him in the chair zuweiße. As the permanent Chairman of the conference, he informed that the representatives of the great powers of the Entente had agreed that the question of the criminal to examine the legal responsibility of the Emperor, Wilhelm II, as well as the responsibility for the war crimes committed. The governments of France, England and North America would have been legal opinions, to prepare, to be delivered to all the participants of the conference. The participants would also receive memoranda on the international regulations of labor protection and labor insurance. All the Congress governments represented will be invited, if you think it is useful to Express in a written opinion on these issues. The Chairman then invited all the representatives of special memoranda to submit on their countries of particular interest to questions of territorial, financial or economic in nature.
