The Washington herald., 1919-07-20
Harden Against Trying !
Ex-Kdiser Until Wars
Wounds AHAre Healed
Declares it Might Jeopardize Prospect Of
World Reconciliation and Would Only
Cater to Imperial Refugees Vanity.


zpressing session OF the national as
Esembly. whose hoarser nightingalesl
Einsisted once more on pouring forth |
their song Of anger and pain. heard |
ga hundred times before, into tired !
ears. the peace treaty was ratified |
n and the President OF the German re- |
: public was authorized to sign it
II the delicate question of the ex-
tradition for punitive purposes OF
those to whom guilt for the war has |
been imputed were not overhanging. |
=thus certainly delaying the purge Of
Europe from the poison Of hatred. |
mankind might hope in good faith |
that after the hell Of war and the |
purgatory OF the month In which the
status Of the new world was decided. |
I'VE are about to arrive at an Eden |
-of International morality. OF course, |
the new world status remains to be |
tried out soon
> Perhaps common sense VIII. after |
all. counsel the victors not to help |
the guest of Amerongen into the
splendor Of Bonapartan martyrdom. |
and to postpone the other cases |
against the violators OF the moral
laws Of humanity. until the war
wounds shall have begun to heal and /
until the prospect OF world recon- |
==ciliation will not be too much jeop- |
=ardized by such trials at court and
the ensuing atonement
= Why should the victors cater to !
the vanity Of the imperial refugee |
who. as recently as october. 1918, |
Azvented his eternal illusion in childish |
sounding words. that he would build
himself new empire. with the help |
-of the Social Democrats?
Would Aid Enemy Courts
: II these projected measures shall be !
quietly shelved. Germany will no lon !
ger furnish merely a field from which !
10 draw PERSONS for international trial. !
and the opinions OF enemy" judges |
in any matter Of international concern I
will not rouse the suspicion of parti- /
san prejudice among those affected
- Decision to adjourn the trials, which |
in themselves could not serve any /
=5ust interest and which could be in ]
=spired only by injustice. greed and lust
for revenge, would clearly prove the (,
will of the allied and associated powers /
10 come out from the vapors and fogs !
of old resentments into the open field !
for the real work OF re-establishing ]
peace.
= As President Wilson truly said, after I
his return home. the foundations of
peace are, now only begun and it will
he possible to complete them only in
the fresh air.
Manifestation of a will to have all |
the nations work together for the COM |
mon welfare, If clothed in the solemn /
form of a world message, would work |
like a miracle Such work can pro- I;
coed only il sustained by the forces }
of public opinion, and IL 1t shall enlist |
the quiet and earnest endeavor OF all
the peoples to reach a good general
understanding.
Message of Humanity.
q Although 1t is not yet possible TO
call tigether world congress. OF the
press, the political leaders of all
countries should know that one may
now travel unhindered and may again
write intimate letters These leaders
should unite in an agreepent to end
the state of war in their powerful
realms.
There will still be the spirit of war
SO long as the enemies of yesterday
are treated as hostilez so long as only
hateful reports are circulated. and
slosthing. mistrust. fear and hate are
nourished toward the former enemy,
while the course OF the allies. what
ever it may be, is safe from all criti-
==cism While such conditions last the
world cannot come to a rest
Unfortunately. in Germany too.
there is still much frightful SHINING.
As in every country one encounters
the good and bad, and those of noble
and OF base instincts. He who reports
only the had falsifies the picture for
his readers. and acts with no more
dignity than the priest who in the
pulpit abuses another creed. because
to his eye its dogma is dust-covered
and its ritual harmful.
Press Better Than PurIiamcnts.
g. The message of humanity should be
. delivered like the inspired word of
good priests, not by those who use
partisan opportunity as a food tool
whereby to climb into offices Of state, |
but by those that feel gravely honored (
that they are to carry the burden of |
bringing before the souls of thousands |
of millions the picture of the world. |
ever forming itself anew, and that
they are to interpret truly to mankind
the lessons for humanity that have /!
been learned by awful experience.
Boundless today Is the empire and !
the power OF the press which, in its /
freedom and consciousness Of re-
sponsIbility. could. in it's perform !
ence. outdo all the pariiaments. /
What can the tongue accomplish IN |
comparison with what may be at
tanned by waiting and by the print
ing machine? Mere spoken words |
may be likened to the displacement 4
of the caraveI Of the days of CO. .
lumbus, while the printsl message
has the displacement of the modern
ocean liner. |
Every journalist must 60 on a !
voyage OF discovery like a Column
bus, and he must not distort his ac-
counts of the new land he may find, l
in order to vent his disappointment
or anger over having found that I
particular land instead Of an India !
watchword for Nations.
II should really be the duty of the
press to conceal the bad and harm
ful and tirelessly to seek out the 4
good. the humanizing and the useful, /
and to cherish every seed which, IL I
properly sown. shall make culture |
the common possession OF all the
civilized peoples; and where this
possession is not increased or even
where it is diminished or compressed /
there will be reason for serious
admonItion, for sorrow, and never
Tor rejoicing over harm to another.
Let the watchword for all the coun-
tries be the transformation of the
press for peace service. The work.
shop OF the diplomat is more limited.
hut his talk is of the highest import:
ance. Since the war annihilated
monarchy. in the old Greek sense or
autoeracy. and buried the last four
OF the empires, the selection OF din
nmatE will no longer depend on tho
question Of suitability for court So