Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1918-09-03
WANTS LIFE OF HUN LEADERS
Editor Manufactures Record Writes
Senator Lodge
Compares German War Leaders to
Hiohwaymen who Carefully Plan
Murder and Robbery-Would Also
Ask for Indemnity for France and
Belgium.

Murder and Robbery-Would Also
Ask for Indemnity for France and
Belgium.
In an open letter to Senator Henry
Cabot Lodge. Richard II. Edmonds,
of Baltimore, editor OF the Manufac-
turers' Record, says:
My Dear Senator Lodge: believe
you have done all civilization a great
service in presenting what you regard
as the minimum terms Of peace TO be
imposed upon Germany and its allies.
and in insisting that peace shall be
dictated after the victorious armies
of America and our Allies have invad-
ed Germany.
Certainly II would be a disaster TO
civilization for all time to come II the
people OF Germany and Austria should
not. by the invasion OF our armies and
an overwhelming defeat OF their mill
tary power. learn something Of the
agonies which France and Belgium
and Italy have had to endure. But will
you permit me to suggest that your
peace terms do not go far enough?
After many years of preparation
Germany and Austria entered upon
this war for the express purpose Of
conquering and looting the world. The
people OF Germany. from the highest
to the lowest, by the testimony OF men
like Muehlon. Thyssen and others. had
no other thought than that Of enor-
nous personal and national profit.
and to gain this they were willing to
murder millions Of men. The people
of Germany glorifled war. They glori-
fled frightfulness and gave holidays
to celebrate the most dastardly crime
which up to that time had ever been
committed on the high seas, the crime
OF the Lusitania. Unlike any other
war in human history, viewed from
the standpoint of supposed civilization
this was the most dastardly war
known in the worlds history.
Most DiabolieaI War In History.
lie HlSH"dylildI WIN SuiSiuhs
plans to commit murder In order to
rob his victims, is not as guilty as the
whole German race, for the highway
man generally acts without long years
Of premeditated effort. Germany. on
the other hand, taught In Its schools
and in It's family life. as we'll as in
its military training, that war was Its
definite policy and that through war.
which meant the numbering Of mil
lions OF soldiers, Germany should ex-
tend its power over the world in or
der to loot other nations and thus to
dominate the whole earth. It was the
most diabolscal, hell devised scheme
ever launched IN human history. AiI-
lions Of men have been murdered by
Germany. and we should ever bear in
mind that this Is a definite war Of
murder. Tens of millions have lived
in voiceless agony because their loved
ones were facing the horrors OF the
battlefield. Women have suffered the
fearful agony Of the british lust Of
German soldiers, and the innocent,
helpless children have died by the
hundreds Of thousands and even by
millions because of Germany's crimes.
Shall there be no punishment for
such criminals?
Shall Germany simply have to re-
tire from Belgium and France, give up
its stolen treasure Of Alsace and Lor-
raine. and withdraw from the other
conquered regions. and Austria simp-
ly have to abandon to Italy that sec
tion which by right belongs to Italy.
and Turkey, which has been guilty OF
numbering in cold blood a million or
more Armenian Christians, to go un-
punished except for the loss of Con-
stantinople?
Punishment Of Grimes Demanded.
Your suggested peace terms do not
indicate any direct punishment OF the
criminals who have been guilty OF
numbering these millions Of soldiers OF
our Allies, and who will before they
have surrendered murder hundreds oi
thousands and perhaps a million or
more Of our soldiers. Nor do your
peace terms suggest any punishment
of the people Of Germany and Austria
and Turkey and Bulgaria who have
upheld these criminals in their efforts
to murder and loot the world.
Would not civilization fail to justi-
fy itself II 1t should permit these
crimes to go unpunished? For your
peace terms involve no punishment OF
the death penalty on leading crimi-
nails or of punishment by financial
indemnity to be paid by the countries
guilty of bringing this fearful war up
on the world.
Shall there be no other punish
ment for these criminals. Of whom
Secretary Lansing recently said that
to recount their crimes would sicken a
tiger than that they shall merely
have to give up the loot In the shape
of the countries overrun which thus
ldI lIey HdNc clDiC " S0hdoSi
1T seems to me that even to accept
such terms from Germany and its al
lies would be for all civilization to
show a lack Of moral strength, for
this would indicate indeed premium
upon crime. Unless Germany and its
allies are punished and made for gen.
erations to come to realize that crime
lis not profitable. and that civilization
will not permit the highwayman to &c
scot free, provided he returns the
loot, we shall place a premium upon
crime and endanger the moral fiber
Of all the world for centuries to come
Germany's Thefts Equal to War Debt
Germany has issued Of bonds and
currency for carrying on this war OF
numbering and looting more than $780,
000. 100000 This enormous sum was
gladly and gleefully taken by its own
people because they expected to have
1t repaid out of robbing the rest Of
mankind. Germany has taken from
Belgium and France and other coun-