Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-12-10
PREMIER SCORES
THOSE GUILTY Of
STARTING CONFLICT

LONDON, Thursday, Dec. SIN
! the detailed reStatement of his policy,
! issued by Premier Lloyd George to-
day, calling for the trial and punish
war, however, high their place,
! he pledged the entire in
| fuence of the British government at
J the peace conference to see that JUS
! tice was done.
In declaring for the expulsion and
exclusion Of all enemy aliens from
British soil, the premier pointed out
that a considerable proportion of
enemy residents in the United King
! dom during the war had abused Brit
| ish hospitality and thus had forfeit
ed their claims to remain.
In his statement, the premier, after
paying a warm tribute to the soldiers
and sailors of the empire, said:
1.-THE kaiser must be prosecuted. The
| war was a crime. Who doubts that?
| 1t was a frightful, terrible crime. 1t
was a crime in the way in which 1t
was planned and in the deliberate
| wantonness with which 1t was pro-
| voked. 1t also was a crime in the
| invasion of a helpless little state and
in the wicked and most brutal treat
ment of that little state. Remember
the treaty of neutrality, the scrap OF
| paper"
| Surely the war was a crime. The
| fact that all these Ubiquitous things
were done in the name of war and
under the imperial edict Of an auto
! crat does not change their nature.
| The war was a hideouS, abominable
crime, a crime which has sent mill
| lions of the best young men of Eu-
rope to death and mutilation and
has plunged myriads of homes into
| desolation.
Must Not BE Let OF
as no one responsible? Is no one
| to be called to account? Is there to
be no punishment? Surely that is
neither Gods justice nor mans. The
men responsible for this outrage on
| the human race must not be let on
because their heads were crowned
| when they perpetrated the deed.
THE British government referred
| the question of the criminal culpa-
| bility of the kaiser and his accom-
| plices to their law officers some
weeks ago. They invited a body of
| jurists in England to investigate the
matter and they have unanimously
come to the conclusion that the
| kaiser and his accomplices in the
making of this war ought to be tried
| by an international court. They also
reported strongly in favor of the
punishment of those guilty. of muir
der on the high seas and the abom-
| Unable ill-treatment of prisoners.
THE British government will use
| its wohle inflence at the peace con-
ference to see that justice Is exc
cuted.
AFTER what has happened in the
| last four or five years it is impos-
sible to entertain in our midst a
population of which considerable
portion abused our hospitality. This
has been demonstrated by evidence
and plotted and assisted Germany
in forming plans for the destruc-
| ton of a country which offered them
hospitality They thus have for
| feited any claim to remain.
Further, it would lead to inev-
liable irritation and disturbance if
| Germans who have been fighting us
| for four years came here to take
| the bread out of the mouths of the
men whom they for four years
sought to destroy, and much as
regret that, it is impossible to have
! tions, L hold we are up against the
events of the last few years, for
which Germany alone is responsible,
and she must abide the consequences.
"All the European allies have ac-
copied the principle that the central
powers must pay the cost of the
war up to the limit Of her capacity.
The allies propose to appoint COM
mittee of experts to examine the
best method of exacting the indem-
| nifty"
In one passage OF his program,
that dealing with measures for an
increase of British output, Mr.. Lloyd
George says:
There is one condition for the
success of all efforts TO increase the
| output of this country. namely, con-
| fdence. BolShevism is the poison
! production. Russia proves that.
Russia will not begin the building
up of a productive system until Boil
shevism has worked itself out"
Cecil Favors Action
German officials guilty of acts which
resulted in injury or danger 10 Brit
| ish prisoners of war should be held
| personally responsible, Lord Robert
| Cecil, former assistant secI>tar.- of
! state for foreign affairs, says. This
| statement was made in message
relative to the attitude of the gov
eminent on the, subject of treatment
| of prisoners, which has been gener-
| ally discussed since the signing of
| the armistice, Lord Robert said.
IF we are satisfied that any of our
| soldiers or civilian fellow subjects
! have been ill-treated in such q way
| as to injure their health or endanger
| their lives, we should make it per-
| fectly clear that we will personally
! hold the official responsible for the
! ilI-treatmant, and If necessary, try
! him for his life. This should be
| done, be he kaiser or any subordi-
| nate.
1--WE cannot make it too clear that
| the ill-treatment of prisoners is not
| like occurrences in battle, commit
! ted in hot-blood or ignorance. 1t is
! deliberate, cold-blooded cruelty and
ought to be punished if there is any
| relic of Justice in the world"
N0 0TITNTTNE tat