Great Falls daily tribune., 1919-05-01
TO TRY THE KAISER.

TO TRY THE KAISER.
Interesting If true is the news that comes from
Paris to the effect that the late emperor OF Ger
many is to be extradited from Holland and tried
before an international court for his crimes. 1t
has been generally understood that Secretary
Lansing and our delegation at Paris took the
view that there was no lawful means available
by which this could be accomplished. Either
our delegates have changed their views on these
matters or withdrawn them for the sake OF har-
mony.
The first question that naturally arises IN
ones mind on reading the news item is What
will be the attitude Of the Dutch government to-
ward demand for the extradition Of the former
emperor, now refugee on their soil? OF course
the entente powers have ample force at hand to
compel his surrender to them if they see 1T to
exercise it, but we think it somewhat doubtful
if they would be willing to invade Holland and
take the former emperor by force from their
custody. Assuming, however, that the Dutch
government is quite willing to hand him over to
the entente allies for trial and Judgment we
think the ends of justice would be served by
such proceeding. We do not expect that any
verdict except one of guilty Of high crimes and
misdemeanors against the world would be rem
dered in such court. In fact the verdict OF the
world Is already made up on that point and 1t
would take much conclusive evidence to change
it. If the emperor OF Germany wrote the ter
rible letter of confession of responsibility for
atrocities against the civil population Of Bel
gium and France addressed to the old emperor
Of Austria, which is SO often quoted these days,
the only defense he could offer is insanity. And
we can believe that he did write the words at
tributed to him. because those damnable views
were taught by some Of the military writer's III
Germany even prior to the war. The doctrine OF
"frightfulness' Of the infliction Of shocking
atrocities on unarned and helpless civilians in
conquered territory rests on the proposition that
such cruelties are really merciful because they
break down the will of hostile people for war,
and SO save suffering in the end by shortening
the war General Bernhard in his book pub
Iished before the war, entitled "The Next War
fully expounds and defends this terrible doctrine
In it's pages, and General Bernhard was a diy-
sion commander in the German army in the late
war and said to be favorite with the emperor
and court party. There is nothing unlikely in
the proposition that the late German emperor
was convert to those doctrines. Indeed his in
structions to the German troops departing for
China to avenge the death of couple Of Ger
man missionaries many years ago furnishes fur
ther evidence of the fact that he was convert
to the horrid doctrine of tfrightfulness." He
told his soldiers to give no quarter and conduct
themselves as the savage Huns did in early
times, SO that the very name Of Germany would
inspire fear in the enemy for generations to
come If the responsibility for the atrocities
committed by the German armies can be laid
directly at the door of the emperor we think it
should be DONE IF the responsibility was shared
elsewhere or the emperor was not responsible for
them in the interest of historical truth the facts
should be disclosed
So far as punishment goes, we hardly think it
likely that it can be made much more heavy than
he is now suffering. To execute him would not
be to punish him more but to release him from
punishment. Perhaps confinement on some lone
" island like st. Helena where Napoleon passed
the last days Of his life would be an added pun
ishment but death would not be, in our opinion.
Left to his conscience and the gnawing remorse
which we think would assail him he would suffer
more than by the hangman's rope. Or If his
conscience is atrophied, then the regrets of am
bition disappointed, and failure and disgrace act
ing on his supreme egotism might accomplish
the same punishment.
We hope the trial comes off for several rea-
sons. We would like to know more surely the
facts and what defense this miserable man would
make to his victims when confronted by them.
So we will be interested to the trial come off
if it does and the evidence for the defense if
there is any.