Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1920-02-12
Germans Protest They Cannot
Surrender War Criminals
for Trial by Allies.
SAY GOVERNMENT WOULD FALL
Council OF Ambassadors May Con.
slider Some Modiflcations-Great
Fall Of Foreign Exchange May
Stop Exports-Resuits Of
viscount's Grey's
, Letter.
BY EDWARD w. PIckARD.

Germany's always evident intention
to evade as much Of the Versailles
treaty as she could brought matters
between her and the allies to the crit
1oal stage last week. The. test Of the
ability OF the allies to enforce full
comes up in the case of the Germans
who are accused Of war crimes and
whose exradttion for trial Is demand
ed, in accordance with the treaty
which Germany signed. The list CON-
prfsing 800 names, was handed to
Baron Won Lersner, head Of the Ger
man delegation at Paris, for trans
mission to his government. He had
been protesting, verbally and in writ
ing, against the enforcement of that
clause of the treaty, and finding his
arguments futile, sent the list back
to the French foreign office and re-
signed his post. The list was sent to
Berlin by telegraph, but the Berlin
government made it plain that it
would never consent to extradition Of
the accused. Its attitude was expressed
by Mlniser of Defense :Noske, who
said: 1.-THE surrender Of these men is
virtually impossible. I, Suppose I sue
ceeded in getting the men arrested.
Do you think the train taking them to
France would be allowed to cross the
frontier? And if crowd held up: the
train, do you imagine that I could or
der Germans shot down so that other
Germans should be handed over to
the revenge of their enemies? The
government might resign, but what
party could take its placer"
Passive resistance, it was said,
would be the course followed by
Eberts, government. The Berlin press
agreed that delivery of the men could
. not be made, and the general asser-
ton was that insistence by the allies
would mean the downfall of the gov
eminent and probable revolution.
The council of ambassadors in Paris
was sufficiently impressed by the
fication of it's demands. It's plan as
outlined there was that Germany
should accept the list of Offenders
and thus admit their culpability,tand
that the allies should then consider
the exigencies Of the situation.
AS for the former kaiser, his fate
seems to be either trial and punish
ment by the allies or exile from Eu-
rope. Sir Auckland Geddes, British
minister of national service and re-
construction, declared in a speech at
Andover that the government intend
ed to put the former emperor on trial
and carry out whatever penalty was
provided; and he added that it Hol-
land persisted in giving him asylum
1t must put him on some island be-
longing to it outside of Europe, for
the: fallen~'Iuler could not reside on
Dutch territory in Europe. There
has been talk of a trade embargo
against Holland to compel her to SUR
render Wilhelm, but 1t. is not consid-
cred likely that this will be resorted
to by the allies.
Foreign exchange, which had been
hreaaily falling for some time. went
c.9 with a crash last week, and
nciers lOf all calibers we're thrown
,.fa near-panic. On American stock
exchanges prices lrabied fast. and
holders of securities added to the col
lapse by dumping their stocks and
bonds on the market. The causes and
nrohahle effects of ali tlsiS must be
LEFT to the financial esgs.,t. to tell.
But one thing Is made Gear to every
one. That is that the, aigh cost OF