Republican farmer., 1919-06-27

Germany, however, the note adds, cannot complain should the allies use the full powers conferred on them by the treaty, particularly Article 429 (that dealing with the question of territorial occupation which provides that it might be continued indefln- itely) if she, on her side, del1berately violates it's provisions"
 The text of the letter sent today to the German peace delegation is as follows:
 June 25, 1919.
 MT. President: The terms of the armistice signed by Germany on the eleventh of November, 1918, provided as follows:
 "'Article 23 The German surface warships which shall be specified by the Allies and the United States shall forthwith be disarmed and thereafter neutral port or, failing them, in the Allied ports designated by the Allies and the United States. They shall there remain under supervision by the Allies and the United States. only care and maintenance parties being left on board
 "On June 21 the German warships which. had been handed over to the Allied and associated powers and were at anchor in the roadstead at ' and maintenance parties on board as provided in the armistice were sunk by these parties under orders of the German admiral in command accord- ing to the information which has been collected and transmitted by the British Admiralty. The German ad- mira1 in command of these parties of the German naval forces has alleged that he acted in the belief that the armistice expired on June 21 at mid day and consequently. in his opinion. the destruction in question was no violation of it's terms.
 "In law, Germany, by signing the terms of Article 23, set out above, entered into an undertaking that the ships handed over by her should re- main in the ports indicated by the al- lied and associated powers, and that care and maintenance parties should be left on board with such instruction and under such orders as would en- sure that the armistice should be ob served.
 'The sinking of these ships instead of their preservation as had been pro- vided for, and in breach of the un- derta king embodied in Article 31 of the armistice against all acts of de- Istruction, constituted at once a viola tion of the armistice, the destruction of the pledge handed over, and act of gross bad faith towards the allied and associated powers.
 The admiral in command of the care and maintenance parties belong ing to the German naval forces has, while recognizing that the act was a breach of the; armistice, attempted to justify it by salleging his belief that the armistice had come to an end. "This alleged Justification is not well-founded as, under the com munication addressed to the German delegation by the Allied and As sociated powers on the sixteenth of June, 1919, the armistice would only terminate on refusal to sign the peace, or if no answer were returned on the twenty third of June at seven o'clock. According to international law, as embodied particularly in Articles 40 and Al of the regulations annexed to the Fourth Hague Convention of 1907, every serious violation of the armis- tice by one of the parties gives the other party the right to denounce 1t and even in case of urgency to recom- mend hostilities at once.
 "A violation of the terms of the ar7nistfce by individuA1A acting on their own initiative, only confers the Tight of demanding the punishment Of these offenders, and, If necessary. .n- demnity for the losses sustained- It will therefore be open to che Allied and Associated Powers to bring be- fore "a military tribunal the persona