Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-06-30
wo Die, 100 Wounded in Franco.American Riot
SPARE KAISER,
AND TRY ME is
HOLLWEG PLEA
Former Chancellor Says
He Alone is to Blame
for Hun War Acts.

Berlin, June 30.-Dr. Theobald
Won n-Hollweg, former
German chancellor, has formally
asked the allied and associate Il
powers to place him on trial instead
of the former emperor.
The former chancellor says ne
assumes responsibility for the acts
of Germany during his period of Of
fee and places himself at the dIs-
losal of the allies.
The request of the former chan
cellor was made June 25 in a com
munication to Premier Clemenceau,
president of the peace conference.
Dr.. Won Bethmann-Hoilweg, it is
said, desired to take this step May
20, but refrained at that time on
the expressed wish of the German
government.
Still Calls Him SMaiesty."
The communication asks Premier
ClemenCeau to bring the following
document to the knowledge of the
allied and associated powers:
I'm article 227 of the peace terms
the allied and associated powers
publicly arraign His Majesty, Will
liam II. OF Hohenzollern, former
German emperor, for a supreme Of
Tense against International moral
ity and the sanctity of treaties.
AT the same time they an
nounceG their resolve to address d
request to the government of the
Netherlands for the surrender of
the former emperor for the purpose
of trial.
with reference thereto, I take
the liberty of addressing request
to the powers to let the projected
proceedings against His Majesty,
the emperor, be taken against me.
For this object l hereby place
myself at the disposal of the allied
and associated powers.
II Bear Sole Blame
LAS former German imperial
chancellor l bear for my period OF
office sole responsibility, as regu-
lated in the German constitution,
for the political acts of the en-
peror. l believe 1 deduce therefrom
that the claim that the reckoning
which the allied and associated
powers desire to demand for these
me.
Being convinced that the allied
and associated powers will not
deny International respect to the
legal position fixed by public con-
sttiutional law, l may express the
hope that they will be inclined to
yield to my urgent request.
WON BETHMANN-HOLLWEG.
''Hohenfinow, June 25."
Doctor Won -Hollweg
was German chancellor from 1903
to July II, 1917. He succeeded
Prince Won Buelow.
~Scrap of Paper" His Phrase.
The definition of the treaty guar
anteeing the neutrality of Belgium
as a scrap of paper" was made by
Won Bethmann-Hollweg in an ad-
dress to the Reichstag shortly aft
er the beginning of the war. The
former chancellor has blamed the
militarists for starting the war,
while he. in turn, has been blamed
Last February the former char
cellor offered to go before a trib-
unal to give an accounting for his
stewardship as chancellor. 1t was
announced in Berlin March 81 that
Won Bethmann-Hollweg would be
among those who would be tried by
the German court which would in
ves-igate responsibility for the loss
of the war by Germany
Nay be Tried.
He has been mentioned several
times as among those who might be
tried by the allies for political Of
fenses in connection with the
origin of the war
Doctor Won -Hollweg is
81 years old. Before becoming chan-
cellor he was Prussian minister of
the interior and imperial treasurer
and vice chancellor. He held the
rank of lieutenant general in the
German army. Since his retirement
from office the former chancellor
has been living in Hohenfnow, his
estate near Eberswalde, twenty
seven miles north of Berlin.