The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1919-06-27
GERMANY TO Be
MADE TO PAY Up
FOR SH|P SINKING
ALLIED AND ASSOCIATED POW.
ERS SEND SHARP NOTE STAT
ING INTENTIONS
GUILTY TO Be PUNISHED
Clemenceau Signs Notification TO Huns
That Their Act of Scuttling War
Vessels on Eve of Peace is Despica-
blc--Non Reuters Claim That Arm.
istice Was Ended is Torn TO Shreds.

istiCc Was ENDED Is IOfii 10 SnTeus'
Paris, June 26.-Germany has been
allies that they possess the right to
punish the persons responsible for the
destruction of the German ship and
to collect reparation for the loss. Ihe
sinking of the fleet is denounced as a
violation of the armisticc and deliber'
ate breach in advance, of the conditions
of peace When the Investigations have
been completed the note states, the
allies will exact the necessary repair
ations."
The allied and associated powers
have .ent the following letter to the
| German peace delegation:
June 25, 1919
MIR. President: The terms of the
armisticc signed by Germany on the
nth of November, 1918, provided as
follows:
Article 23--The German surface
warships which shall be specified by
the allies and the United States shall
forthwith be disarmed and thereafter
interned in neutral ports, or failing
| lneIl, lle dlllth ppilS utSlSialtu ~
the allies and the United States. They
shall there remain under supervision
| by the allies and the United States,
| only care and maintenance parties be-
ing left on board
ION June 21, the German warships
| which had been handed over to the
allied ana associated powers and were
at anchor in the roadstead at Scapa
| Flow with the German care and main
| tenance parties ON board as provided
| in the armistice, were sunk by these
| parties under the orders of the Ger
| man admiral in command, according
| to the information which has been col
lected and transmitted by the British
admiralty. The German admiral in
command of these parties of the Ger
man naval forces has alleged that he
acted in the belief that thearmstice
| expired on June 2l at midday and con
sequently in his opinion the destruc'
ton in question was no violation of
| its terms.
"ln law Germany. by signing the
terms Article %, set out above, enter
ed into an undertaking that the ships
handed over by her should remain IN
the ports indicated by the allied and
associated powers and that care and
maintenance parties should be left on
board with such instructions and under
such orders as would ensure that the
armistice should be observed.
THE sinking of these ships instead
of their preservation as had been pro
vided for, and in breach of the under
taking embodied In article 81 of the
|
ton, constituted at once "A violation
of the armistce the destruction of the
pledge handed over, and an act of gross
bad fath toward the allied and associ-
ated powers.
THE admiral in command of the
care and maintenance parties belong
ing to the German naval forces, has
while recognizing that the act was
breach of the armistice, attempted to
justify it by alleging his belief that the
armistice had come to an end
Armistice Not Ended
"Ths alleged Justification is not
well founded, as under the communi
cation addressed to the German delega-
ton by the allied and associated pow.
ers on the 10th of June, 1919, the arm.
istice would terminate only on refusal
to sign the peace, or if no answer
We're returned, on June %, at O'Clock.
| According to international law as EN-
bodied particularly in articles 40 and
| IL of the regulations annexed TO the
fourth Hague convention of 1907,
every serious violation of the arrais'
tice by one OF the parties gives the 9th.
er party the right to denounce it and
even in case of emergency to recon
mence hostilties at once.
"a violation of the terms of the arm.
istice by individuals acting on their
own initiative only forces right of de
manding the punishment of these of
tenders, and, il necessary, indemnity
for the losses sustained. 1t will, there.
fore, be open to the allied and asso
cated powers to bring before a military
tribunal the persons responsible for
these acts of destruction, so that the
appropriate penalties may be imposed
Furthermore, the incident gives the
allied and associated powers a right to
reparation for the loss caused. and
i'm consequence a right to proceed &c
the measures as the said powers may
deem appropriate.
Lastly. the sinking of the German
fleet is not only violation of the arm
istice. but can only to be regarded by
the allies and associated powers as q
deliberate breach, in advance. of the
conditions communicated to Germany
and now accepted by her.
Not An Isolated Act
Furthermore, the incident is not
an isolated act. The burning or per.
mission for the burning of the French
flags, which Germany was to restore.
constitutes another deliberate breach
in advance of these same conditions.
In consequence, the allied and as
ociated powers declare that they take
note of these signal acts of bad faith
: and that when the Investigations have
been completed into all the circum
stances they will exact the necessary
reparation. 1t Is evident that any repe.
, tition OF acts like those must have
} very unfortunate effect upon the fu
Continued on page p