The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1919-06-21

assurance of membership In the
League of Nations "in the early fu-
ture," provided Germany fulfills her
obligations.
This is considerable concession,
though 1t does not meet the German
demand for admittance to membership
Immediately upon the signing of peace.
The new document meets the Ger
man demand for cooperation with
German reparations commission.
1t also puts the powers on record as
willing to receive suggestions for dis
charging the German reparational OBJ
legation.
This opens the way to oral discus
sions the Germans asked for--but not
until peace Is signed. 1t removes the
grounds on which the Germans
charged infringement on their sover-
eighty and national pride, In the
reparational transactions.
Another change in the treaty text
provides for the plebisclte in upper
Silesia for. which the Germans had
asked. 1t also guarantees coal from
that province presumably In the
event that the plebiscite goes against
Germany.
Drop KIel Canal Question.
The original proposal Of an inter-
national commission for the admins
tration of the KEEL canal has been
dropped. The Germans had declared
they would accept such commission
only If other straits were similarly
treated (alluding manifestly to the
Suez and Panama canals).
Among the notifications also are
frontier notifications in West Prussia.
The third zone of the Schleswig
plebiscite is omitted in the new draft.
The Germans had charged that this
zone went farther than Denmark her
self wished to go. l-.
The Germans are allowed temper
airy increase Of their army from 10o,-
600 to 100000, which meets their plea
for sufficient force to maintain law
and order in the transition period.
The revised document also contains
a declaration of intention to submit
within a month of the signature OF
peace a, list of those accused of viola
lions of the laws and customs of war
The German reply had denied the
allies right to extradite and try the ex-
| kaiser or any other German citizens.
1t declared Germany's willingness Tor
| an international neutral court to es-
tablish the fact of crime, the punish
/ ment to be left to the national courts.
Germany's claims regarding Danzig
| are rejected. Danzig Is made a free
city. Its inhabitants will be autono-
nous and do not come under Polish
rule, Clemenceau's covering letter eX-
plains that the city forms no part OF
the Polish state.
Poland however, by the treaty, has
been given certain economic rights
In Danzig, and the city itself has
been severed from Germany because
In no other way was 1t possible to at
tain that free access to the sea-
which Germany promised to concede
to Poland.
The German reply said:
"Danzig, purely German town
must remain with the German empire
To make it free city and to sur
render certain of its rights to POLAND
would lead to violent opposition and
continuous state Of war in the East
The Germans, however, offered tt
make Danzig, as well as Koenigsberg
free ports.
Covers Foes Sins.
Like a judge who, before modifying
a sentence, wishes to impress upor
the prisoner the full weight of his
guilt and pound into his brain the
fact that the leniency is really unde
served, Georges Clemenceau, premier
of France, explains the revised treat,
handed to Germany, lashes the van
4 pushed empire with bitter, stingint
indictment, lest it's former or presen
masters. deeming clemency weakness
rally once more for an attempt to turn
defeat into triumph.
History's most momentous peace
document, now revised beyond revi
sion, Is thus accompanied by the mos
aggressive, the most fiaying diplomats
note on record. 1t is indeed cover
ing" letter, for 1t covers all the sins o
the foe, all his dark deeds before ant
during the war, and all the reason
why he has been condemned and mus
suffer for those sins. 1t Is, at the sam
time, sharp rebuke to the Teutol
peace parliamentaires for utterly fail
ing to understand the position Il
which Germany stands today"
This fact, the French premier eS
plains, forces him to open his lette
i with "a clear statement of the jude
ment of the world which has bee
J formed by practically the whole civil
!, lied mankind" Then he enumerates
not under SO many headings, but i
: smoother and eloquent sequence, tn
long series of crimes to which, he says
the foe must turn If he seeks the res
son for the stern justice of the peace
, Germany, he says, tried for year
!, before the war to dictate and tyrar