Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1918-12-12
WAR BILL OF
ALLY NATIONS
120 BILLION
Continued From Page One.)

Continued From Page One.)
The Germans always felt there was
nothing to resist their perfect mil
itary machine.
IF you want a permanent peace;
if you want to prevent the horrors
of this war being repeated, you must
put an end to conscript armies on
the continent of Europe.
"The first thing to do is to pre-
vent the repetition of plumbers of
the past by making it impossible to
have those great conscript armies
in the future. ~
Will Maintain Navy.
1--WE did not have the machinery
for an offensive war. Our navy is
defensive weapon and not an Of
fensive one; and that is why we do
not mean to give it up. We have
kept these islands free from invasion
for centuries and we mean to take
no risk in the future"
Mr.. Lloyd George declared that
the decision which would be taken
in the next few months in the peace
conference was going to leave
mark upon the world. The ages to
come, he said, would be able to
reap the fruits of it.
The premier next dealt with the
question of indemnity. He de-
clared the war had cost Germany
less than it had cost Great Britain.
1t had cost Great Britain, he de-
clared, S,0O0,000,00O pounds, a 81
gantic sum. The German bill, he
believed, was six or seven billion
pounds.
He contended it was indefensible
that the person who was in the
wrong and had lost should pay less
than the person who was declared
to be in the right and had won.
Demand Whole Cost.
The premier said a British impe-
rial commission had been appointed
to investigate the capacity of Ger
many Ito pay and that he had re-
ceived its report. He summarized
his remarks on this point as fol-
lows:
"First-As far as justice is con-
cerned, we have an absolute right
to demand the whole cost of the
war from Germany.
"Second-We propose to demand
the whole cost of the war from Ger
many.
"Third-When you come to the
exacting of it, we must exact in such
way that it does not do more
harm to the country that receives it
than the country that is paying it.
"Fourth-The commission ap-
pointed by the British cabinet be-
lieves that that can be done.
"Fifth-The allies are in exactly
the same boat. We shall put in our
demands all together and whatever
they are they must come, in front /,
of the German war debt"
The prime minister continued:
"The first consideration in the
minds of the allies will be the inter
ests of the people upon whom the |
Germans have made war and not in
the interests of the German people |
who have made wahand have been
guilty of that crime" |
Emperor Guilty OF Crime.
With regard to the former Ger
man emperor, the premier said:
There is absolutely no doubt that
he has committed a crime against
right and there is alb
solutely no doubt that he ought to !
be held responsible for it so far as
the European allies are concerned"
The premier said he hoped that
America would take the same view
when President Wilson arrived as
to the demand that would be put
forward on the part of the European
allies ito make the kaiser and his
accomplices responsible for this ter
rible crime"
Referring to letter said to have
been written by a British general to
a French general, in which the Brit
ish officer was quoted as saying it
was proposed to establish British
national army of 20 divisions, based
on CONSUMPTION, but that "the cab
met would not touch this until afte,