The Marietta journal. (Marietta, Ga.) 1918-1944, 1919-06-20

| "The allied and associated powers
have given the most earnest consider
alton to the observation of the Ger
man delegates on the draft of the
treaty of peace. The reply protests
against the peace on the ground that
it conflicts with the terms upon which
the armistice of November II, 1918,
was signed and that it is a peace OF
violence, and not peace of justice.
The protest of the German delegates
shows that they fail to understand the
position in which Germany stands. to-
day. They seem to think that Ger
many has only to make sacrifices IN
order to attain peace as if this were
but the end of some mere struggle
for territory power. The allied and
associated powers, therefore, feel 1t
necessary to begin their, reply by a
clear statement of the judgement of
the judgement of the world, which has
been forged by practically the whole
of the civilized mankind.
''In view of the allied and associa-
ted powers, the war which begun on
August 1, 1914, was the greatest
crime against humanity and freedom
of the people that any nation calling
itself civilized has ever consciously
committed. For many years the
rulers of Germany, true to the Prus-
sian tradition, strove for position
of dominance in Europe. They were
not satisfied with that growing pros
perity and influence to which Ger
many was entitled and which all 9TH
er nations were willing to accord her;
they require that they should be able
to dictate and tryannize over sub
servient Europe, as they dictated and
tryanized over a subservient Ger
many.
"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 inter-
national affairs. They never ceased
to expand ornaments by land and sea
and to propagandate the falsehood
that it was necessary because Ger
many's neighbors were jealous OF her
prosperity and power.
"They sought to sow hostility and
suspicion, instead of friendship, be-
ween nations. The Germans develop
ed a system of espionage and eintri-
que through which they were enabled
to stir up international rebellion
| and even to make secret offensive
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 neighbors were re-
solved to resist their arrogant will,
they determined to assert their pre-
dominance in Europe by force.
"As soon as their preparations
were complete they encouraged
subservient ally to declare war on
Serbia on forty-eight hours notice
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,
too late and the world war was in
they refused every attempt at con-
cillation and conference, until it was
evitable, for which they had plotted
lions, they were adequately equipped
ard for which, alone among the ma
and prepared.
"Germany's responsibility, howev-
err, is not confined to having planned
and started the war. She is no less
responsible for the savage and inhu-
man manner in which it was conduct
ed. 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-
liberately carried out series Of pro-
miscous shootings and burnings with
the sole object of terrifying the in
habitants into submission by the very
frightfulness of their action. They
were the first to use poisonous gas,
knowing 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.
"They commenced the submarine
campaign, with it's piratical chai-
lenge to international law and its
destruction of great numbers of in
nocent passengers and sailors in mid
ocean, far from succor, at the mercy
Of the winds and the waves and the
vet more ruthless submarine crews.
They drove thousands of women and
children with brutal savagery into
.laver- in foreign lands; they al
owed barbarities to be practiced
against their prisoners of war, from
which the most uncivilized people
would have recoiled.