Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-12-05
G,,su'ne'% Exsnns YestsFdsy aeS1s 1882
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 1915
Germans Beaten at First Marne.

The frst admission from the German
that the first time they were turned baci
from Paris spelled the ultimate defeat o
the cause of the Hun, comes from tn
Crown Prince in exile. 1t may be som'
comfort TO young murderer to know Ius'
when he was fatally hit and also to kno"
who hit him. Doubtless he has gver
much time of late to the study OF how L
bsppened-a sort OF gruesome post
rnortem-and the fact that he has dis
covered the truth as every military man II
this country knew il at oncc-after the
battle-indicatcs TINT the Crown Princes
Is acquiring wisdom and gurnption IN the
quiet of Holland fishing hamlet
II tried at that time, he says IN an
interview, to persuade the general stan
10 seek peace even at great sacnhce,
ro,ns so far as TO give up Alsace-Iorralne,
but was told 10 mind my business.
The interest that viii he focused on
the interview OF the Crown Prince Will be
based on the obvious fact that there Is not
: single word of truth in the entire state
rnent, and il is now put forth IN the hope
that IL in some wav may enable the JUNIOR
Hohensollern to escape, IN some measure,
the punishment thst IS coming 70 mn,
punishment that Is demanded by justice
a n,lnishnent severe enough 70 cause any
future butcher to halt before setting out
to conquer or 70 wreck the world
Never before has the German staff ad-
uutted that in October, 1914 had II been
defeated by the handful, green mob Of
the Allies, commanded by the rcvcred
"pspa Joffer as all Paris delights TO call
him. Never before has there been the
slightest intimation that 10 the German
mud was there even suggestion that
defeat could ever have been dreamed OF as
a most remote possibility. ii indeed the
Germans reahzed 81 that time. As the
Crown Prince asserts. that Germany was
beaten, what excuse has the General
staff for continuing the war al the cost oil
SIX or seven million lives and the waste OF
more than fifty billions Of money. The
failure to halt the war after the inst
Marne wrecked Germany absolutely, cost
her 5000. 900 Of lives OF her own people
and has left the nation bankrupt, rent
asunder and in the hands OF the Bolshev7kl
In view OF all this one can more readily
understand why, at the first sign OF break
the Kaiser, his family, his kin and all his
unholy crew fed 10 escape the wrath OF the
outraged deceived dupes-the German
people.
To bring forward at this time the Il
told-you-so-ciaim" IN the hope OF It's
winning sxme mitigation OF the impending
penalty, iklstrates the assininity of the
German mind II either the Crown Prince
or his stil more offensive father has any
idea that their hour is not striking, they
have not heard the runbing of the out
ragged people OF France, nor Of England,
OF the United States, or of Italy. All the
Allies have united in demand upon, Hol-
land for the Hohenzollern rogues-a ras-
cally cowardly crew, who IN fleeing from
the wrath of their own country, carried
along bags of stolen gold-money taken
from the people-a people crying for food,
hungry and almost naked.
These rulers who did not hesitate to
murder helpless nurse who had gwen
nearly all her life 10 ministerlng TO the
sick and down-trodden, of course, would
have not the smallest scruple against
robbing the nation that they might spend
the remainder OF their days in luxurious
uselessness. The descent from throne to
a petty thief is long drop, bur the Ger
man has proven again and again that Of all
the people of Gods creating be as the
most despcabie, contemplate and loath-
some.
The thought that the responsible heads
Of the German nation must stand and
plead at the bar Of justice is not the least
gratifying results OF the war. They must
Dc treated as other criminals OF their
rlass and punished as other murderers.
We, MS Americans, are especially inter
-sted IN the Punishment of the German
eaders, and We must see them brought to
Inc supreme sacrifice, !" for the wanton
OF our splendid young men. 1t
makes one shudder TO spread in print the
lorror that in this state and stage OF
ivihzation there is people who in the
Uniform of a soldier Will deliberately cut
he throats Of their prisoners and put |
,thers TO an indescribably awful death on
he cross. Such deaths were visited upon
many OF our brave men and we must mete |
ut to those savages the only form of |
etribution that they can understand.
Ii is understood that President Wilson |
as joined the Allies in demanding of |
Holland the surrender of the Hohenzol- |
erns. 1t is known also that he has a set |
dea that one great step toward king the |