The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1919-05-24

pie entered upon the world war glory
ing in the privilege of becoming muir
derers. outragers and looters.
The terms of the treaty Indicate that
France and England and Italy and Bel
gium have largely had their way in de
termining the extent to which Germany
should be punished. 1t is matter OF
profound qualification that the neWspa'
pers which attempted to voice what they
insisted was President Wilson's wishes
for "a healing peace" and "a peace
without humiliation to Germany nave
proved to be false prophets, or else
President Wilson has taken an entirely
different position from that which they
claimed he held in regard to the punish
ment of the German people; Tor surely
the peace treaty which Germany must
now sign is full of deep humiliation.
IL places Germany under bondage for
many years to come. If enforced, it
will utterly destroy for generations the
power of Germany to make war upon
the world. 1t brings before the bar OF
Justice for trial as common criminals
the leading men, including the kaiser,
responsible for the war.
The position of the Manufacturers
Record from the beginning has been
that the kaiser and his sons and all the
military leaders who were responsible
for the war should be tried by an inter
national court and if convicted, hung,
as other criminals are hung.
We have said that TO stand them be-
fore the firing squad would he to do
them too much honor, and that nothing
but the gallows as the expression of the
severest punishment and the most ig
nominious death of the vilest criminals
should be their lot, in order that for
centuries to come men might know that
civilization has found a way in which
to protect itself and punish the crimi
nails of any nation who might seek to
destroy civilization by Il war of atroclty
for the purpose of loOting other nations
While we could have wished that the
| full financial penalty might have been
! indicated now, so that the world wouC
realize that Germany must pay in full
to the extent of the power of money
| for all the financial losses of the war
yet the thoroughness with which an in
| finite number of details have been GOV
| cred indicates that the peace commits
sioners have not been remiss in theii
solemn responsibility to the civilization
of all future generations.
Anything less than the peace terms
require would be premium upon crime
Reverently this nation and all civili
zation may thank God and take cour
age from what has been done ut the
peace conference.
We believe that the peace terms an'
the question of the league of nations
should have been entirely separate, an,
we trust that a way may be found t'
separate them so that America car
he given the opportunity to freely eX
press its views on these two moment
Gus issues independently of each other
In order to forestall any sentimental
| neurotic. maudlin sympathy for ma
ton of criminals, we have republishe
as the opening of this editorial tn
bill of Civilization Against Germany
from our issue of October II, 1918.
When our readers and all others stud
in detail the facts presented in thi
bill of Civilization Against Germany
and realize that even this does not te
one half of the story, they will under
stand that maudlin sympathy for sue
"A nation of criminals in this hour @
punishment would show "A moral rot
tenness i'm the heart of any man o
woman who should for one momen
have a single thought of sentiment i
behalf of Germany.