The Washington times., 1920-01-18
TRIAL Of KAISER
FAVORED BY BRYAN
Declares Guilt Of Men Re-
sponsibIe for War Would
Be Pixed.
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CONTINUED from First PageA
trial OF the Kaiser which many will
consider the most important OF all
namely. that II will soften the indict
ment that might overwise be brought
against the German people as
whole.
In the early days OF the war our
Admi nistration laid stress upon the
proposition that our fight was against
the Kaiser and not against the Ger
man people. This was ridiculed IN
some quarters, and an effort was made
to include In the indictment Ameri-
cans OF German descent as well as
the citizens OF the Fatherland.
Now that the war, Is over, judg-
ments are being revised and credit
is being conceded to the German
Americans for the loyal support which
they gave to the Government In the
prosecution OF a war against the land
Of their birth. Men OF German par
entage and the descendants OF those
who came to the United States from
Germany fought side by side with
those who traced their ancestry TO
France, Belgium and Great Britain.
While there were in some cases
unpatriotic utterances and acts, the
guilty were very few in number COM
pared with the large number of those
who were connected by blood with
the Germanic races. .......
The patriotic COMMUNICATIONS
and the Austrian n-Americans have rea-
son to demand a trial Of the Kaiser
in order that the mass of the German
people my be relieved OF blame for
the conflagration that has extinguish-
ed so many lives and consumed such
n trarnapdnus amount n nccnmul ed
wealth. .... .-...
End the Theory of
Divine Right OF Kings.
Fourth. the trial of the Kaiser will
give a death blow to one of the fund
amentaI tenets of royalty namely
that "the King can do no wrong
This theory Is lineai descendant OF
the divine rights of kings. The mon
arch has claimed credit fpr\every en-
terprise that turned out well and
made a scapegoat Of his advisers
when his plans failed. The subjects
have held His Majesty in awe while
they have vented their wrath on those
unfortunate enough to have TO bear
the sins of their sovereign.
Democracy has revolutionized the
thought of the world; 1t is. so to
speak, bringing, down the mountains
and lifting up the valleys until they
meet upon the same plane.
In popular government there Is no
such thing as irresponsible power.
The officials chosen by the people are
accountable to the people. and the
people, though sovereign, must bear
the burden that their representatives.
put upon them until that burden is
lifted by the people themselves, or by
those whom the people elect. 10.
1t Is high time for the ruler to be
stripped of exemptions and made to
take his place at the judgment bar
with those, who have to accept re-
sponsibility for what they do and
for the natural of what
they do.
Observing readers have not failed
to note the inclination on the part of
royalists to find reasons for not try
ing the Kaiser. The motive is not
hard to guess. They scent the danger
involved in the proposed trial: they
recognize that 1t sounds the death
knell of one of the most precious
privileges connected with arbitrary
power. But the people ought to be
as quick as the monarch to under
stand what a trial means, and their
insistence should be in proportion to
the reluctance shown by the cour-
tiers