The sun., 1919-02-26
Delegates Are Unable to
Decide on Form of Pun
ishment.
EXECUTION IS FAVORED
Little Doubt That Lesser
Criminals Will Suffer for
Atrocities.
Special Gable Despatch 10 The suN.
Copyioht. 1919; all rights reserved.


PARIS. Feb. %. - Guilty or not
guilty." is the question for which the
Committee on Responsibility of the
Peace Congress is seeking assiduously
an answer. 1t is having great diff
Guilty in finding that answer, despite
the great interest awakened by the
manifested intention of Premier Cle-
menceau and others at the first meet
ing of the Peace Congress to bring
William Hohenzollern to the bar to
answer for the crimes charged against
him.
So great are the difficulties in arriv.
ing at conclusion that the commit
tee may make no effort to find the
Kaiser responsible for causing thc
world war, despite the general belief
to the contrary, and may confine itseli
to a report that in certain stated, well
authenticated cases the Kaiser was re-
sponsible after the war started. BY
giving them his approval. thus becom-
ing an accessory after the fact IN viu
lation of the laws OF civilized warfare.
The question OF what should then be
done to- him has brought out the greatest
divergence of views in the committee,
which Is divided into three sub-com-
mittees to study respectively the acts
themselves, the responsibility for them
and the punishment to be inflicted.
Punishment Suggested.
~ haa
suggested the first is execution. the
other Is exile.
The first plan finds support In con-
siderable sections OF French, British and
Belgian public opinion the second in the
more moderate elements. In the minds
of some the question has arisen whether
the effect of any punishment at all might
not be to martyrize the Kaiser. Were he
executed. the former ruler, who other
wise would go down to posterity as a
! bloody handed monster. might find many
defenders, while exile would place him
| upon a par with Napoleon.
The American members of the com
mittee are Secretary Lansing and Major
James Brown Scott. Secretary Lansing
was elected chairman and should the
committee recommend the execution Of
the former Kaiser, Lansing might &c
down in history as the man who signed
his death warrant The effect upon the
many German Americans in the United
States may be imagined.
The head Of the French delegation Il
Andre Tardieu. who opened the frs
meeting, but neither he nor Secretary
| ar
| ter OF the meetings held so far.
! The Lesser Criminals.
| 1t is stated that the committee has
not yet gone deeply into the question
! of Individual responsibility. but up tC
! the present classihes the possible crimi
nails who may be developed as follows
First, the Kaiser and the Crown Prince
second, Gen. Ludendorff, Field Marsha
van Hndenburg. former Chief Of Stan
/ Won Falkenhayn, Gen. Won Moltke anC
Admiral Won Tirplitz, who were at the
| head of Germanys military and nava
policy third, the higher subordinates
such as Gen Won Bissing. who was II
charge in Belgium and approved thu
deportations OF Belgians to Germany
and the murder of Edith Cavel, thu
British nurse fourth, individuals, suci
as the German submarine commander;
who sank passenger ships.
Regarding tko-e-HN Every one il
loath to talk. Ludendorff, Hindenburt
and Tirpitz are almost certain to be
in It, Ludendorn is said to have beer
occupying his sojourn in Sweden, which
ended Sunday in preparing his defence
Hindenburg is trying to square himsel
by falling in with the German revolu
tion; Tirpitz is a refugee in Switzer
land.
The men In the third class surel!
will have to suffer, but regarding thos'
Continued on Third PdOc