The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1918-08-29

question that justice to the men
who have died, to the millions Of
men and women who have lived
in agony Of woe, and to the civil
ization Of the future demands a
financial penalty equally as
great as that here suggested, in
addition to the penalty Of death
upon leaders of this fearful con-
spiracy.
If this penalty should be en-
forced upon Germany (and in
saying Germany we include it's
allies) to the extreme that coun-
try would not have proportion
ately as great q burden to carry
as the South had to bear after
1865.
AS the South redeemed itself
from poverty to prosperity with
in half century, it would be en-
tirely possible for Germany to a.
chieve as much. Moreover, it
would be acurse to the world for
Germany not to have to suffer
through long years Of penitence
and struggle for the unspeakable
crimes which it has committed.
A prosperous Germany within
the next quarter Of a century
would be blot upon civilization
and would show that civilization
did not have the moral backbone
Fand manhood to punish the GRIM
inal.
AS well might we open the
doors Of every penitentiary in
every land and turn loose every
vile criminal who has forfeited
the right to make living and to
be treated as a decent citizen, as
to permit Germany to go unpun-
ished for a long term of years as
some atonement for its crimes,
with a financial indemnity which
would restore to the nations rob-
bed and looted the financial cost
of saving civilization from, de-
struction.
Against such a punishment as
here outlined every weak-minded,
spineless, moral coward, who can
be influenced by pro-Germanism,
will protest, While every pacifist
which is but another name for a
co-worker with all the criminal
acts of Germany, and every pro-
German throughout the world,
would oppose it, through the pull
pit, through the press and
through politics, wherever pro-
Germanism could work it's malign
influence by the power Of money
or the power of psychology or
mental suggestions or hypnotism.
Germany has proven itself to
be the blacklist criminal in all HUI
man history; it's crimes have been
beyond the power of words to ex-
press, and from the beginning the
war has been definite long
planned attempt to conquer and
loot the world.
Practically all Germans, from
those who sit on the throne to the
peasants, the whole German race,
with only here and there shin
ing exception, is guilty, and pun
ishment should be meted out to
such criminals. Mercy to them
would be crime against civiliza-
ton and a disgrace to the memo
ry of every man who has died in
the fight Of civilization against
barbarism.
It is almost reflection upon
the army of the Confederacy and
the superb heroes Of that strug-
gle to use the utter poverty Of
the South in 1866 and the fearful
losses incurred, even for the pur-
pose of contrasting the condi-
tons prevailing then with those
IA 4OA AesA1yB 1O q 1O0OOA Willy OVI-
many could bear the burden Of
financial indemnity which we
have suggested, and which we in
sist is only reasonable price to
make Germany pay for its crimes.
Unpublished crime begets new
crime, and an unbeaten,, unpun-
ished Germany would soon beget
new wars and more horrors
through the years to come. Ger
many should be penalized into fl
nancial and military weakness for
at least fifty years to come, and
then it's punishment would be all
too mild. J,
The American Defense Society
has now adopted the suggestion
first made in the Manufacturers
Record Of August list, that Ger
many should be compelled to re-
pudiate its entire bonded issue
and all currency issued to pay
for the war. This would put Ger
many IN q position to meet the q
i s.s