Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1918-12-13
NEWS REVIEW OF
CURRENT EVENTS
President Sails for France, But
Does Not Tell Specifically
What He Plans to Do.
WILL Be WARMLY WELCOMED
Trial of Former Kaiser for Murder
Spsrtacus Group Fighting
Ebert's Government for
Control in Germany.
ey EDWARD w. PIcKARD

With the cheers of thousands Of
civilians and returning soldiers ring
ing in his ears, President Wilson sailed
away for Europe .on December 4, on
his mission of world peace-making. AS
the gOod ship George Washington
made its way out of New York harbor
all the shore batteries and war vessels
joined In the presidential salute and
off quarantine the steamship met its
convoy, the battleship Pennsylvania
and five destroyers. 1t was pleasant
coincidence that the presidential party
met several transports thronged with
American troops just sent home from
England and France.
Mr.. Wilson, it was expected, would
land at iBrest about December II and
proceed at once to Paris, where the
residence of Prince .Murat has been
prepared for him. The other delegates
ana most of the rest of the large party
will he housed in the Hotel Crillon.
The president is assured of a warm
and even enthusiastic welcome in
France, Great Britain and Italy. His
arrival in Europe will be scarcely less
welcome to the people of what were
the central empires. The governments
of those states, distracted and dishev-
elled look TO Mr. Wilson to mollify
the entente powers and obtain for
them less rigorous peace terms than
the crimes of the Teutons have de
served. Whether he will be able to
| accomplish this, or even will attempt it,
| remains to be seen. The president has
not taken into his confidence the con-
! gress or the people Of America, pos
| sibly because he could not guess, prior
of the entente nations, how far he
might dare to go in the way of human
itarianism. They are willing and eager
to confer with him on all matters and
| doubtless will defer to his Judgment
In many things. but they have their
own very certain ideas as to the treat
ment that should be accorded the Ger
man nation and people.
One of these ideas is that the ,ex-
kaiser must be put on trial for murder
i and, If found guilty-the ''if' might as
| well be -'when'-must be adequately
punished. The best legal authorities
I of England and France agree that VIII
liam can be extradited from Holland
and there is no doubt that in any
i event enough pressure could be
Il brought to induce the Dutch ito give
him up From the beginning of the
war the English and French have de
i termined that William should ultimate
i ly be brought to justice personally
and there is ample reason for the de
4 preston from which the deposed .rulel
is said ITO he suffering at Amerongen
The former crown prince, who, by th,
way, says he has not yet .renouncet
his rights to the throne, may also b,
put on trial. He, in his Dutch retpeat
has been telling how he and,his fathe
were forced into all their outrageou
actions by the military clique an,
Bethmann Halweg. He also tries t,
Shift TO others the blame for the ter
Gific defeats his army sustained.
IA
Another fixed intention of the en
teDte powers is TO compel Germany It
1 pay to the limit of her capacity He
ability to make financial repatriation 70
the damage her armies have dome j
undoubted. The measures to be adopt
ed by the allies are yet unsettled. Gel
many's state-owned mineral, coal an
potash deposits and railways alone ar
worth vastly more than the claims G
the allies will amount to, and il is nc
unlikely that those will be seized. |
money the country is almost as ric
as it WAS before the war.
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