The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1920-02-26
Germans Protest They Cannot
Surrender War Criminals
for Trial by Allies.
SAY GOVERNMENT WOULD FALL
Council of Ambassadors May Con.
slider Some Modifications-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
ical stage last week. The test of the
ability of the allies to enforce full
compliance with the terms of the pact
comes up in the case of the Germans
who are accused of war crimes and
whose extradition for trial is demand
ed, in accordance with the treaty
which Germany signed. The list, COM
prising 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 1t
would never consent to eXtraditiOn of
the accused. It's attitude was expressed
by Miniser of Defense Noske, who
said: 1.-THE surrender Of these men is
virtually impossible. 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 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, 1t was said,
would be the course followed by
Ebert's 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 a probable revolution.
The council of ambassadors in Paris
was sufficiently impressed by the
German assertions to consider a modi-
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, and
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 if Hol-
land persisted in giving him asylum
it must put him on some island be-
longing to it outside Of Europe, for
the fallen ruler could not reside on
Dutch territory in Europe. There
has been talk of trade embargo
against Holland to compel her to sur
render Wilhelm, but it is not consid-
cred likely that this will be- resorted
TO by the allies.
Foreign exchange, which had beer
steadily falling for some time, went
down with a crash last week, and
financiers of all calibers were thrown
into a near-panic. On American stock
exchanges prices tumbled fast and
holders of securities added to the col
lapse by dumping their stocks and
bonds on the market. The causes and
probable effects of all this must be
left to the financial experts to tell.
But one thing is made clear to every
one. That is that the high cost of