The Greeneville daily sun. (Greeneville, Tenn.) 1918-1920, 1918-09-16
REPRIsALs FOR RARBARIsM.

AS the three allied batterng rams in France and in
Flanders deliver SCATTERING blow after another and
send the enemy Keeling back Germany makes more and
more earnest appeals for peace negotiations These ap
peals began with yelled hints and are now unbushng
and shameless exhibitions Of Germany's willingness to
sink any principle and pretended ideal, any claim Of
honor, for the sake Of saving Of the spos The
pleas like the war acts, reveal that Germany
utterly lacking in any motive except greed.
The heathensh manner in which Germany makes peace
overtures is more offensive than the manner in
which she makes There is porcine obtuseness in
peace appeal made at the moment when the Germans
burning villages and ravaging private property that
is especially offensive to world that has been taught
to believe that suppants must show good faith in their
claims of repentance The German asks for mercy while
he awaits opportunity to drive knife into his captor
He asks for peace while he burns villages and ensaves
the inhabitants He is lacking in perception SO ami
mastc in his faculties, that he inspires peculiar hatred
which is very apt to wreak itself upon him with terrible
reprisals. The allied nations and armies actually find it
necessary restrain their wrath and to forego the tempt
alton to fall into vndictve spirit in dealing with the
Calibans who have defled themselves and Europe
Now the German is Withdrawing and spelling as he
goes Is he to be allowed to do this with impunity? Is
he to destroy the part Of France and Belgium from
which he is to be evcted? And if So he then to be
permitted to make peace though he had not committed
this dastardly crime?
If Germany wants peace, let Germany withdraw at
to the border This would be proof of good faith
and the world demands proof in advance before having
any dealings with Germany. A plea for peace from
Germany, while German armies stand on French and
Belgian and other allied soil, is equivalent to plea for
release from burgar caught in the act of robbng
house Let the burglar be bound and taken out FIRST be-
fore he is handed over to justice
What would be thought Of burglar who asked for
mercy and immunity from arrest while he was in the act
of setting fire to the house from which he was driven
after burderng its occupants? AS he rereated throwing
bombs right and left and firing entire streets, would
not the authorities try to him that further depre
datons his part would be punished with instant death
upon sight?
The allied governments should forthwith send word
to the German emperor and his government that the de-
structon Of property in allied territory now occupied by
German troops will be penazed by the systematic de
structon of property in Germany house for house farm
for farm, village for village The allies will not take the
lives of civilians ensave them. No provocaton of
enemy barbarsm the allies to forget that they
at rate belong to humanity But the excuses of the
Germans, deliberately committed require that the Ger
government should be called to halt and that Ger
man property be destroyed if the warning is not needed
Reimbursement Of the peasants Of France and Belgium
is not sufficient, even if the German empire could be
forced to in money for the repredatons Of its armies
There things that money buy or replace
and fthese is humble home about which cluster
the memories of ages. The fends who deliberately de-
stroy these places cannot square the account by paying
money if they should be forced to pay treble the
material value. They should be prevented from ccm-
hitting such vandalism if there any form of repgsa
that will deter them. If the allies will fix their wills
upon and give full notice of plan of reprsa whereby
German homes and villages shall be put to the torch and
the dynamite bomb unless French and Belgian homes and
villages spared, the German brutes may find wise
to behave like humans,-W Washington Post.