New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1920-01-28
ALLIES !! /! Z REQUEST r D. ]
Is TURNED DOWN.
DUTCH GOVERNMENT IN NOTE
REFUSES TO SURRENDER
FORMER EMPEROR
POINTS TO LACK OF JURIs-
DIcTIoN ON PART OF
ENTENTE POWERS.

The demand of the Entente Powers
that Holland deliver into their hands
the former German Emperor William II
that he may be tried by them for alleged
ofenses against international morality
and the sanctity of treaties" has been.
refused by the Dutch government. In
note delivered last Friday to the For
eign office at Paris by the Dutch minis
ter, Holland takes the ground that
the Dutch government is not a party
to the peace treaty OF Versailles and
that it cannot recognize as an inter
national duty the necessity to associate
itself with this act Of high International
policy of the powers ''s.' 1s- s's- Is S..
The reply of the Dutch government
follows: ). 1. ssgss.
BY verbal note, dated january. Is,
1920, given to the envoy of the Queen
at Paris, the powers, referring to Article
227 of the Treaty Of Versailles, demand.
that the government Of Holland give
into their hands William of Hohen,,
zollern, former emperor Of Germany,
so that he may be tried. 2i 1 ;l!=
Supporting this demand, they observe
that if the former emperor had remained
in Germany the German government
would, under the terms of Article 228
of the treaty of peace had been obliged
to deliver him. "@H,: Il S..f =
In citing as premeditated violations
Of international treaties, as well as a
systematic disregard Of the most sacred
rules of the rights Of man, a number
of acts committed during the war by
German authority, the powers place the
responsibility, at Leaf morally on the
former emperor. /. + i.
They express, the opinion that Hol-
land would not fulfill her international
duty if she refused to associate herself
with them within the limit of her ability,
to pursue or at least not to impede, the
punishment Of crimes committed.
They emphasize the special character
of their demands, which contemplate
not juridical accusation but an act of
the solidarity of the nations. VI p
The queen has the honor to observe
first, that obligations which for Germany
could ehave resulted from Article 228
of the treaty Of peace cannot serve to
determine the duty of Holland, which
is not party to the treaty, s.
The governemnt Of the queen, moved
by imprescriptible reasons, cannot view
the question raised by the demands 55of
the powers except from the point of
view of it's own duty. 1t was absolutely
unconnected with the origin Of the war
and has maintained, and not without
difficulty, it's neutrality to the end.
It finds itself then face to face with facts
of the war in a position different from
that of the powers, 8
It rejects with energy, all suspicion
of wishing to cover with its sovereign
right and its moral authority, violations
of the essential principles Of the solid
arity of nations; but it cannot recognize
an international duty to associate itself
with this act of high international policy.
of the powers.
If in the future there should be insti-
Ftuted by the society of nations, an in
ternational jurisdiction competent to.
Judge in case Of war deeds, qualified as
crimes and submitted to its jurisdiction
by statute ante-dating the acts commit
ted, it would be fit for Holland to asso-
ciate herself with the new regime.
The government of the queen cannot
admit in the present case, any other
duty than that imposed on it by the
laws Of the kingdom and national ira
dition.
Now, neither The Constituent laws Of
the kingdom, which are based on the
principles Of law universally recognized,
nor respectable secular tradition which
has made this country always ground
Of refuge for the vanquished in inter
national conflicts, permit the govern
ment Of Holland to defer to the desire
Of the powers by withdrawing from the
former emperor the benefit Of its laws and
this tradition.
Justice and national honor Of which
respect is a sacred duty, oppose this.
The Netherlands people; moved by the
sentiments to which in history the
world has done justice, could not betray
the faith of those who have confded
themselves to their free institutions.
The government of the queen is
pleased to believe that the powers will
recognize the good grounds Of these con-
siderations, which rise above any consid-
GRAFTON Of personalities and which seem
to it SO peremptory that they could not
reasonable give rise to wrong interpre-
tations.
Miss Henrietta Abraham has returned
to Springfield. after q brief visit with
relatives here.
- :.