The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1919-08-22
THE KAISER MUST
BE PUNISHED

Vicente Blasco-Ibanez, the famou.
| Spanish author of "The Four Horse.
men OF the Apocalypse" and "Th,
Shadow of the Cathedral" contributes
a remarkable article on the signifi-
canoe of the former Kaiser's case in q
recent issue of the outlook. We read:
Europe has been so absorbed in the
Iproblems of peace that she has forgot
ten the chief offender OF the war.
One can understand how
those who have seen the war from a
distance and know its horrors only by
hearsay are not greatly interested in
the fate of the most sinister figure of
the war. But we who have seen his
work close at hand, the greatest mass
of atrocities since the ravages OF At
tia, cannot quietly endure seeing the
deviser and executors of those crimes
suffering no other punish
ment than his own rage at the loss of
his huge, absurd power and at his
shameful flight.
II have right to speak Of this man
with complete liberty. | never believed
in him. l always feared that his the
atrical poses and his pedantries, the
result OF superficial learning, would
wind up in a tragical fashion for the
world. Twenty years ago, when some
gullible persons were hailing him as
the superman. had the honor to be
arrested and prosecuted in Spain (at
the instigation of the German Ambas-
sador, no doubt, for an article in which
/ compared him to Nero. Since then i
have spoken of him in a similar vein
in several Of my novels. My ideas have
changed somewhat since then, and
must ask Nero's pardon for having
him with William II. Nero
confined himself to burning a few Sec
tons OF just one city, besides he knew
how to die. thought of Will
liam as sort OF Lieutenant who, when
he enters a room, looks past all the
men, makes love to all the women,
talks on every subject, imposes his OPP
inions, plays the piano, recites poetry
does everything badly-shows a ri
diculous self sufficiency, but to whom
no one dares to say anything for fear
Of provoking a duel. This somewhat
absurd, completely intolerable being
has, nevertheless, one moment in his
life in which he commands respect. If
there has been any offense to his hon
or that might lower him in the eyes of
his comrades, II he has fallen short in
any of his professional obligations. he
settles the matter by putting a revolt
yer to his forehead and pulling the
trigger.
1.-THE father of a family. he had him
self photographed with his six sons,
and even with his daughter, all dressed
in the uniform of the Deaths Head
Hussars in fur caps decorated with
skull and cross bones. or this grue-
some family. which delighted in get
ting itself up in sepulchral adornments,
not a single one has been scratched.
All are enjoying perfect heath.
1.-THE Emperor who bears upon his
conscience the burden of 100000
corpses buried on the battlefield and
OF is, 000, 900 or 20.0000O0 who have died
or will die as consequence of the war
wants to live to an old age; it annoys
him to think of the shock on his aug
ust skull of one OF those bits of lead
that during these four years he has
scattered like an endless flood upon
the battlefields of Europe; he perfers
to fall a victim to microbes at the
latest possible moment, like a peace
full, quiet citizen who never harmed
soul and who takes scrupulous care Of
his health.
He might, in keeping with his past
and his tragedy airs have persisted in
the last battle in France, charging, for
the first and only time in his life, at
the head of one Of the regiments OF the
Imperial Guard. Every General has at
some time been under fire-all except
him. But he found 1t more to his liking
to escape like a defaulting banker with
the police at his heels.
I'm this shameful termination of
empire only one man show
ed honor and dignity, and he wore
neither sword nor uniform. There was
only one who had the courage to COM
nit suicide, unable to outlive his coun-
trys disaster; a business man, Sew
-Ballin, the shipowner, Of Hamburg.
"All the German Generals. those
thunderbolt heroes in favorable mo-
ments, after burning and bombarding
cities and assuring the world that over
coming the Allies was a matter OF
weeks, have quietly retired to their
castles 10 raise chickens, UT spur Will
their dogs, OF. perhaps, to write their
memoirs,
This Is something new in history.
Never has there been seen so lamen-
table an absence of professional hon
or, such a demonstration or brazen
shamelessness.
"The United States has the electric
chair, England the gallowS France the
guillotine; almost all civilized coun-
tries have their modes of suppressing
dangerous individuals that attack the
safety of society or its future. He who
kills just one person. he who burns
just one house. he who robs on the
highway, pays for this isolated and
individual crime with his life.
mo, this war has not ended right.
It's termination is neither logical nor
moral If the millions of dead could
rise, they would surely cry out les
pecially the Germans.) looking toward
tranquil ,Amerongen:
How is this? We have died, and
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