Omaha daily bee., 1919-05-22
Responsibility for the War
From the St. Louis Globe-Democrat.

SAc LOUIS SlOUe.AeuOCIat
The London Times of April %, which has
just reached u.s. contains an extended summary
of the report of the Commission on the Respon-
sibility OF the Authors of the War and on the
Enforcement of Penalties which was presented
to the plenary session of the peace conference
on that date, the same session at which the re-
vised covenant of the league of ma ions was pre-
scented and adopted. The greater interest in
the covenant, We suppose, caused the reduction
OF the report of this commission to very brief
dispatches in the American papers, and no ade-
quate account of its conclusions had come to US
until the receipt of this edition of the Times.
The states repre- on this commission were
the United States. Great Britain, France Italy,
Japan, Belgium, Greece, Poland, Roumana and
Serbia, and Mr.. Lansing was its president THE
report as whole" says the Times, lis very
valuable and conscientious piece of work, and
provides in succinct form what is perhaps the
best summary OF the proof of the allied conten-
ton that the war was the result of deliberate
plot on the part of the central empires that has
yet been made. In no case are statements made
which are not supported by evidence of an Of
fetal nature, drawn either from the rainbow
hued official papers published by the allies or
from enemy state papers themselves" 1t is, in
fact an official indictment, based upon evidence
considered indlsputabe, and constitutes the first
general arraignment of the central powers by
body of quasi judicial nature. Reports have
been made during the war by commissions ap-
PO'HtSo " investigate certain phases OF COLI
duct and responsibility, but this report presents
the conclusions of body representing all the
principal nations engaged in war against the
central powers and it covers the whole field
1t is, therefore, of large importance, both in its
present application and historically.
The REPORT takes up first the causes of the
war and the responsibility of its authors, and
the commission determines that the response
bility for it lies wholly upon the powers which
declared war in pursuance of policy of agrees
sion, the concealment of which gives to the
spiracy against the peace of Europe. This re-
sponsibility rests, first, upon Germany and Aus
tra; secondly, on Turkey and Bulgaria. The
responsibility is made all the graver by reason
of the violation of the neutrality of Belgium
and Luxembourg. which Prussia had herself
France and Serbia by the violation of their
frontiers before the declaration of war" The
reasons for this conclusion are set forth in de-
tail which clearly expose the great conspiracy
The report then takes UP the violations of
neutrality, of international law and of the COM
mon laws of humanity. The invasion of Bel
GUM is discussed, and it shows the hollowness
of the German contention that they were COM
PEELED to violate Belgian neutrality because
they had certain knowledge that the French in
tended to do SO themselves The commission
draws up list of 81 different categories of
crime perpetrated by the enemy. 1T consti-
tutes" says the report, "the most striking list
of crimes that has ever been drawn up, to the
eternal shame of those who committed them
The facts are established" The list includes
murders and massacres, torture and deliberate
starvation of civilians, rape, abduction of women
for the purpose of enforced prostitution, depor-
tation of civilians, wanton devastation and de-
structlon OF property, destruction OF merchant
ships and passenger vessels without warning,
bombardment of hospitals and other offenses to
the number of classifcations stated. The COM
mission concludes that: THE war was carried
on by the central empires together with their
allies, Turkey and Bulgaria, by barbarous or H.
legitimate methods in violation of the .estab-
lished laws and customs of war and the elemen
tary laws of humanity"
The ofenses fall into two categories: First
the acts which provoked the world war and &C
companied its inception and, second, the viola
tions of the laws and customs of war and the
laws of humanity. The trial of all persons
however highly placed, for acts coming within
the second category is recommended, but the
commission does not advise that "the acts which
provoked the war should be charged against
their authors and made the subject of proceed
ings before tribunal" The commission holds
that no criminal charge can be made against
the responsible authorities for breaches of neu-
trality, but urges formal condemnation by the
peace conference.
According to the Times the American men,
bers of the commission were not in accord with
the majority on some points and signed the re-
port Subject to very important reservations. in
which they pronounce against the trial OF the
ex-kaiser before an international tribunal on
moral charges, holding that moral offenses can
only be visited with moral sanctions" The
American argument is not presented in the sum-
mary, and this brief statement is more mystify-
ing than informative.