Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1919-06-19

Z the draft treaty Of peace. The reply pro-
tests against the peace on the ground that
1t conflicts with the terms upon which the
armistice of November II, 1918 was signed
and that it is a peace of Violence and not
a peace of justice. the protest of the
German delegation shows that they fail
to understand the position in which Ger
many stands to-day. They seem to think
that Germany has only to make sacrifices
in order to attain peace as If this were
but the end of some mere struggle for
territory and power. The allied and as
sociat ed powers therefore feel it necessary
to begin their reply by clear statement
of the Judgment Of the world, which has
been forced for practically the whole
civilized mankind.
WORLDS GREATEST CRIME
"In the view of the allied and as
ISOLATED powers. the war which began on
August |. 1914 was the greatest crime
| against humanity and freedom of the peo-
pie that any nation calling itself civilized
has ever conscientously committed For
| many years the rulers of Germany, true
to the Prussian tradition. strove for a
position of dominance in Europe. They
| We're not satisfied with that growing
prosperity and influence to which Ger
many was entitled, and which all other
| nations were willing to accord her; they
| required that they should be able to
dictate and tyrannze over a subservient
Europe, as they dictated and tyrannized
| over a subservient Germany.
In order to attain their ends they
used every channel through which to
educate their own subjects in the doctrine
that might was right in international
affairs. They never ceased to expand
German ornaments by land and sea and
to propagate the falsehood that it was
necessary because Germany's neighbors
| were jealous of her prosperity and power.
KEPT EUROPE IN FERMENT
"She sought to SOW hostility and sus-
pcon, instead of friendship between ma
| tons. The Germans developed a system
of espionage and intrigue through which
| they were enabled to stir up international
| rebellion and even to make secret often
| sive preparations within the territory of
their neighbors, whereby they might,
when the moment came, strike them down
| with greater certainty and ease. They
! Kept Europe in ferment by threats of
violence, and when they found that their
neghbors were resolved to resist their
arrogant will, they determined to assert
their predo.ninance in Europe by force.
| AS soon as their preparations were
complete they encouraged a subservient
= ally to declare war on Serbia on forty
eight hours notice, a war involving the
control of the Balkans. which they knew
could not be localized and which was
bound to unchain a general war.
In order to make doubly sure, thew
refused every attempt at Cancellation
| and conference until it was too late
| and the world war was inevitable. for
which they had plotted and for which
alone among the nations they were
adequately equipped and prepared.
INHUMAN WAR MAKERS,
"Germany's responsibility, how
rever, is not confined to having plan
ned and started the war. She is no
less responsible for the savage and
inhuman manner in which it was con-
| Quoted. Though Germany was herself
the guaranty of Belgium, Germany
violated the rules after "A solemn
promise to respect the neutrality of
this unoffending people.
Not content with this, they de-
| libeiately carried out series of
, promiscuous shootings and burnings
| with the sole object of terrifying the
Inhabitants into submission by the
| very frightfulness Of their action.
They were the first to use poisonous
gas, notwithstanding the appalling
suffering it entailed. They began the
bombing and long distance Smelling
of towns, for no military object, but
solely for the purpose of reducing
the morale of their opponents by
| striking at their women and children.
LEADER IN BARBARITY.
They commenced the submarine
campaign with its piratical challenge
to international law and it's destruc-
ton Of great numbers of innocent
passengers and sailors in mid-ocean,
| far from succor, at the mercy of the
winds and the waves and the yet
more ruthless submarine crews. They
drove thousands of men and women
and children with brutal savagery in
to slavery in foreign lands; they
allowed barbarities to be practiced
against their prisoners of war; from
which the most uncivilized people
| would have recoiled.
1.-THE conduct of Germany is almost
uneXampled in human history. The
terrible responsibility which lies al
her doors can be seen by the fact tha'
not less than seven million dead lif
buried in Europe. while more thar
twenty Hiilioh others carry upon eHo"
the evidence of wounds and sunerings
because Germany saw At to CRAFTY
her lust for tyranny by resort to war
MUST TREAT WAR AS CRIME
J THE allied and associated powers
believe that they will be false to those
who have given their all to save thu
freedom of the world If they consent
to treat war on any other basis thar
as a crime against humanity ant
war
This attitude of the allied and as
ISOLATED powers was made perfect,
clear to Germany during the war b,
their principal statesmen 1t was de
: fined by President Wilson in his speech
of April 1918. and explicitly and cate
Sorically accepted by the German peo
} pie as a principle covering the peace
| Lot Il that