Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-06-17
CoDering Note Declares
Judgment of Word VIII
Be Passed on Var Guilty.
Rebukes Germany for
False Proposals
Tiger" Explains Justice of
Allied E1actions and In
sists Enemies Must Atone
for Ofenses against Hu.
n,drtity
BY the Associated Press

Paris, June 17.-The covering letter
from NJ. Clemenceau, president Of the
Peace Conference. to Count Won Brock &.
dorff Rantzau, president of the German
delegation, in answer to the Teuton
counter proposals, follows:
'aThe Allied and associated powers
have given the most earnest Considera-
ton to the observation of the German
delegates on the draft treaty of peace.
The reply protests against the peace on
the ground that it conflicts with the
terms upon which the sruiStice Of No
vember IL. 1918. was signed and that
il is a peace Of violence and not q
peace of justice. Ths protest of the
German delegation shows thst they fail
TO understand the position n which
Germany stands today. They seem 10
think that Germany bAS only 10 ~Ensks
sacrifices in order 10 st"Ain Te1ct. as
il this were hut the szd Of SOME mere
struggle for tsTTito-r Go3 nrWer. TIE
Allied and associated 3ovs-S therefore
feel il Necessary % hrclp Their reply
by q clear statement ~ the 7UdeTDeni Of
the world, which kSs heEL forged hr
virtually the whole 0! civilized man
kind.
War Greatest Crime
''Iu the view Of the Allied spd as
sociated powers. the vsr which hrgsn
on August l, 1914. was TIE greatest
crime against humanity S1G freedom Of
the people that any nation calling itself
civilized has ever consciously committed
For many years the rulers a Germany
true to the Prussisn TRADITION. strove for
a position of dominance in Europe They
were not satisfied with the growing pros
perity and influence 70 which Germany
was entitled and which all other nations
were willing TO accord her. they required
that they should be able to dictate and
tyrannize over a subservient Europe. a.
they dictated and tyrannized ver a sub.
servient Germany.
''In order to attain their ends they
used every channel through which to
educate their own subjects in the doc
trine that might was right in interna-
tional affairs. They never ceased to ex.
pand German armaments by land and
sea and TO propagate the falsehood that
IL was necessary because Germany's
neighbors were jealous of her prosper
ity and power.
"She sought to SOW hostility and
suspicion. instead of friendship. be-
tween nations. The Germans developed
a system of espionage and intrigue
through which they were enabled to stir
up international rebellion and even to
make secret offensive. Preparations
within the territorv Of their neighbors,
whereby they might, when the moment
came. strike them down with greater
in ferment by threats of violence,
and when they found that their neigh
bors were resolved to resist their AFRO
eant will, they determined to assert
their predominance in Europe by
force.
sg"As soon as their preparations were
Z complete they encouraged a 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.
SIN order to make doubly sure, they
refused every attempt at Cancellation
and conference, until it was too late and
the world war was inevitable, for which
they had plotted aud for which alone
among the nations they were adequately
equipped and prepared.
Germany responsibility, however.
is not confined to having planned and
started the war. She is no less re-
eponsible for the savage and inhuman
manner in which it was conducted.
Though Germany was herself the guar
anty of Belgium, Germany violated the
rules after a solemn promise to respect
the neutrality of this unoffending peo
pie.
mot content with this, they deIib-
erately carried out series of promis-
cuous shootings and burnings with the
sole object of terrifying the inhabitants
into submission by the very frightful-
ness of their action. They were first
to use poisonous gas, notwithstanding
the appalling suffering it entailed. They
began the bombing and long distance
shelling of towns, for no military OBJ
ject, but solely for the purpose of re-
ducing the morale of their opponents by
striking at their women and children.
'"They commenced the submarine
campaign, with it's piratical challenge
to international law and its destruc
ton of great numbers of innocent pas
sengers and sailors in mid ocean, far
from succor, at the mercy of the winds
and the water and yet more ruthless
submarine crews. They drove thou
sands of men and women and children
with brutal savagery into slavery in
foreign lands; they allowed barbarities
, to be practiced against their prisoners
Of war, from which the most uncivilized
people would have recoiled.
Conduct UnexampIed
THE conduct of Germany is almost
unexampled In human history. The
terrible responsibility which lies at her
doors can be seen by the fact that not
less than seven million dead lie buried
In Europe, while more than twenty mil :
lion others carry upon them the eyi i
dence Of wounds and suffering, because
Germany saw At to crafty her lust for
tyranny by resort to war.
The Allied and Associated powers