The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1920-03-05
GERMANY MAY
TRY CULPRITS
Allies Accept Berlin's Offer to
Take War Guilty Before
Leipzig Supreme Court.
KAISER INTERMING HINT.
Ask Dutch to Reconsider
Suggest Holding Emperor Under
Guard-Won't Interfere
in Trial.

London.-The allied reply to the
German note of January 25 proposing
as an alternative to extradition that
persons accused by the allies be tried
at Leipzig states that Germany's pro-
posal for such trial at Leipzig is COM
patible with Article 22S of the peace
treaty. The allies, the note says, will
abstain from intervention in the pro-
cedure of that court.
The reply of the council to Hollands
note regarding the extradition of the
Kaiser repeats more strongly than was
expected the right of the nations to
try Wilhelm, but, as has already been
told, plainly opens the door for Hol-
land to exile him or to guard him
safely on Dutch soil without surren-
'dering him for trial.
After stating that the allies have
carefully considered the German note
of January 25 the reply says;
1.-THE powers observe, in the first
place, that Germany declares herself
unable to carry out the obligations i'm
posed on her by Articles 22S to 230,
themselves the power to employ in
such measure and form as they may
Judge suitable the rights accorded to
them in this event by the treaty.
1.-THE allies nore, however, the Ger
man governments declaration that
they are prepared to open before the
court at Leipzig penal proceedings
without delay, surrounded by the most
complete guarantees and not affected
by the application of all judgments,
procedure or previous decisions of Ger
man civil or military tribunals before
the Supreme Court at Leipzig against
all Germans whose extradition the al
lied and associated powers have the
intention to demand
''The prosecution which the German
government itself proposes immediate
ly to institute in this manner is COM
patible with Article 228 of the peace
treaty and is expressly provided for at
the end of it's first paragraph.
Faithful to the letter and spirit of
the treaty, the allies will abstain from
Intervention in any way in the pro-
cedure of the prosecution and the YER
dict in order to leave to the German
government complete and entire re-
sponsibility. They reserve to them
selves the right to decide by the e
suits as to the good faith of Germany,
the recognition by her of the crimes
she has committed and her sincere de-
sire to associate herself with their
punishment.
''At the same time the allies, in the
pursuance of truth and justice, have
allied commission the task of collect
ing, publishing and communicating to
Germany details of the charges brought
against each of those whose guilt shall
have been established by their investi-
cations.
FINALLY, the allies would formally
emphasize that procedure before a
jurisdiction such as is proposed can in
no way annul the provisions of Arti-
-cles 22S to 230 of the treaty.
"The powers reserve to themselves
the right to decide whether the pro-
posed procedure by Germany which,
according to her, would assure to the
accused all guarantees of justice, does
not in effect bring about their escape
from the just punishment of their
crimes In this event the allies would
exercise their rights to their full ex-
tent by submitting the cases to their
own tribunal"
The German press, as qroted in a
dispatch to the Exchange Telegraph
Company from Copenhagen, declares
that Field Marshal Won Hindenburg's
surrender is demanded by the allies
not only because he is alleged to have
said, ''The most cruel war is the most
humane, because it leads to an end"
but also because of his responsibility
for the destruction &c property during
the German retreat.