The Brunswick news., 1919-05-03
HE OUGHT TO BE rniED!

council of four, or is it now of three,
have their way, but mot for an of
fense against criminal law
The first clause OF the Indictment
under which the council proposes that
he b. tried goes out Of its way spe.
officially to register this exception. il
is not satisfied merely to state fol
what offense he is to be tried 1t
might have done that and left it to
The world to decide for it,elf what
relation that offense bore to crime
and criminal law" Its title is re
sounding enough: ''it reads, "a 81
pIeme offense against international
morality and the sanctity of treaties.
But the trainers of Article l" of the
Indictment inserted right in the mid
die of the article and just before the
description Of the offense a challeng-
i,g phrase, as impossible to over
lcok as cinder in the eye, which eX
prassl% declares that it is mot" for
an offense against criminaI law" thai
The apparent arch-criminl of moIern
times is to be arraigned
This challenging phrase presuma-
bly, means something. The council oi
four have difficulties enough with
cut seeking to stir up manufactured
troubles by jamming empty but ey
ceadingly provocative phrases int
their public documents. If it merol
means that there is today no codif'c3
criminal law under which the eX-ka
er can be tried, but that he viii be
II d and punished as a criminal just
he same, under the description of al
offender against international moral
~ and the sanctity of treaties" thcr
the whole clause ha heen most loose
y and misleadingly phrased Aud
moreover, the discussion in Europe
ices not encourage this comforting
theory. They assume over there that
American opposition to trying the cx-
l-tiser for personal responsibility for
tie war certainly existed, and was on
~ overcome by the insertion in the
Indictment Of this statement, which
vas meant to save him from boinc
tied for "a criminal offense"
And there turks tie sting for the
A.aerican reader. Why should Amer
q be presented to the European pub
i TX as laboring to keep the eg.hajse'
OFT of the criminal docket? Do VIC
feel that way? If our delegate on L
paris, including President Wilson him
se.f, has been talking that way, doe
it lightly represent the American cor
science? Is there not a wall-nigh uni
vcasal feeling in this country that
William Hohcnzollern should at any
rate be put On trial for the crime
lei us not gag at the word-of play
i'0a a very prominent and potent part
il letting loose upon humanity The
most awful array OF wholesale en-
zines of death which invention and
&C ence ever combined to create?
# he is not guilty, well and good
Let that surprising fact be proved IL
! Tie open day. Then we shall fee
th4t justice has not failed and that
the conscience of democracy has not
covered before a crown when we send
hlm forth into the wilderness alive
to bear whatever punishment bis own
conscience may infIict But viii We
ever be satisfied that he is trulz
euiltless until We have seen him tried
by a competent, fearless, unwaverine
and unrestricted tribunal?
Is the ex-kaiser a criminal?
Was the launching Of the lat, war d
crime? We know perfectly what il
vas launched for Germany wanted
"a place in the SUM-" which, being in
tclpreted, meant that she wanted
somebody elses place. For instance
the kaiser went to Tangier wher
france and Britain were dealing wit
the difficult Moorish question, not be
cause Germany had the remotes