The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-05-29
EX-KAISER MAY
ASK FOR TRIAL
BY NEUTRALS
Friends Urging Him to Of
fer to Go Before Nom
COmbatant Tribunal.
CABINET Is APPROACHED
InstigatOYs of Scheme Hope to
Open Up Question of
Responsibility.
CABINET Is APPROACHED
BY KARL II. Won wIEGAND.
Sfd6 Correspondent Of The SuY.

Copyright. 1919; al rights reserved.
BERLIN, May 27 (delayed) Tile
former Kaiser is said to have under
consideration n demand for his sur
render contained IN the peace treaty.
He voluntarily may offer to place
himself before neutral high court
for trial upon the charge that he Is
guilty of having brought about the
world war.
/ am reliably informed that there
Is II movement on foot to induce the
eS-Kaiser to take this step. The
Idea originated with a small circle
Of personal friends who are still loyal
TO him. / have recently learned that
an effort to persuade him to sur
render himself for trial was contem-
plated by select few who are still
able to see him at Amerongen, but
until to-day l have been unable to OBJ
tain reliable confirmation.
Friends Approach Ebert.
From men who are In a position to
know learned that certain persons
formerly close to the one time Kaiser
within the last week have approached
members OF the Ebert Government to
ask how 1t would view such IL step
on the eN-Emperor's part. l am in
formed that the Government an
swered that it could not and would
not surrender any German citizen
contrary to recognized law for trial
before courts OF other countries, and
that 1t could not therefore advise a
German citizen to give himself up for
trial in II court which had no recog-
nized jurisdiction in law, national or
international, as the law now stands.
But the Government officials de-
clared that as private citizens they
could not but greet such a step on
the part of the former Kaiser with
approval and sympathy. The further
opinion was expressed that by such
n courageous move William Hohen-
zollern would be acting in his own
interest and in that of the German
people.
Since those conferences, which, 1t
should be stated, were with individual
members OF the Government and not
with the Government MS such, 1t is
asserted that certain persons have
left Or Amerongen on q mission to
induce the eXKaiser to cut the Cor
dian knot with bold initiative.
Procedure Suggested.
The plan now appears to be to
have William III. address himself to
rulers of one or two neutral countries
and declare that he has learned Of
the charges made against him by the
allied and associated Governments,
that the German people should not
be made to suffer for what he is
charged with, therefore, while as a
sovereign he Is not subject to the
jurisdiction of any court, he will vol
unfairly offer to place himself before
high court selected by the Govern
ments of neutral countries.
Two arguments are advanced for
such action on the part of the
ex-Kaiser. First, his trial before IL
neutral court probably would result
in opening the entire question Of the
guilt for bringing about conditions
which eventuated the war. Second.
the monarchists, who deplore the for
mer EmperOr's manner of leaving
Germany, believe that such an act Of
self-sacrifice by him would go a long
way to redeem that flight and would
result in a trial under conditions
that promised justice and not revenge
Whatever the result it would be u
more fitting end to his career than
the pltinble one of contemptful for.
getfulness to which he Is now con-
demned. Whether the ex-Kaiser In
his present state of nervous excitabil.
ity and irritabllity can be induced to
meet fate with such boldness remains
to be seen.