Omaha daily bee., 1920-02-17
WAR CRIMINALS
WON'T Be TRIED
BY ALLIED COURT
Ber|in's Proposal to Bring
Those Accused Of Crimes
Before Leipsic Tribunal
Is Agreeable.

! Continued From First PageD
queens government TO depart from
its traditional policy, but to con-
| slider that the nature OF their re-
! quest-which does not i'll their opin-
ION depend solely or even mainly,
on Dutch municipal law--has not
been adequately appreciated.
! No question OF prestige is at
stake and the powers pay as much
heed to the Conscientious sentiments
OF state with limited interest as
20 the mature decision OF great pow
ers, but cannot wait for the crea-
ton of a world tribunal competent
TO examine international crimes be-
fore bringing to trial the responsible
author of the catastrophe of the
great war. ....
Prepares Way for Tribunal.
1T is precisely this contemplated
trial which would prepare the way
for such tribunal and demonstrate
the unanimity of feeling animating
the conscience of the nations OF the
world. The powers wish to point
i, out that the league of nations has
not yet reached a state Of develop
ment sufficient to allow any .appll-
cation to it, or to tribunal OF any
kind created by it meeting with
that prompt satisfaction which is
surely demanded
THE note of January IS, was
sent in the name of the allies, Is
in number. who were signatories to
the treaty of peace and the collective
mandatories of a majority of the
! civilized nations OF the world. 1t
is impossible to disregard the col
lective force OF this request which
is the expression not only of the
feeling of indignation of the vic
tins, but of the demand for justice
made by the conscience of human
ity as a whole.
"The Netherlands government
surely has not forgotten that the
policy and personal actions OF the
man required for judgment by the
powers have cost the lives of ap-
proximately 100000 men muir
dered in their prime and have been
responsible for the mutilation or
shattered health of three times as
many, the laying waste to and the
destruction of millions of square
miles of territory in countries for-
merly industrious, peaceable and
happy, and the piling up of war
debts running into billions, the vic
tins being men who had defended
their freedom and incidentally that
OF Holland.
Nations Into Confusion.
"The economic and social exis-
tence of all these nations has been
thrown into confusion and they are
now jeopardized by famine and
want-the terrible results of that
war of which William II was the
author.
"The allies cannot conceal their
surprise at finding in the Dutch re-
ply no single word of disapproval
of the crimes committed by the en-
peror, crimes which outrage the
most elementary sentiments of hui
manity and civilization and Of which,
in particular, so many Dutch ma
tionals themselves have been the in
nocent victims On the high seas. To
help bring to justice the authors OF
such crimes, plainy asserts with the
aims of the league of nations.
How can anyone fail to be I'M
pressed by the reactionary manifes-
tations which have followed the re-
fusal of Holland, and the dangerous
encouragement to all those who are
opposing the just chastisement of
the culprits and their exemplary
condemnation, whatever their social
position.
Holland in Duty Bound.
Holland, whose history teens OF
long struggles for liberty, who has
suffered SO grievously through dis
regard for justice, could not place
herself by such a narrow conception
of her duties outside of the comfy
of nations. A duty, which none can
avoid for national reasons, however
weighty they may be, is to unite in
order to mete out exemplary pun
ishment to responsible authors of
the disasters and denominations of
the war and endeavor to revive con-
ceptions of solidarity and humanity
in the German nation, which is still
of the falsity OF the
tenets of its government who pro-
fessed that might was right and sue
cess condoned crime.
"It was from this point OF view,
and not exclusively from a national
standpoint, that the powers request
ed the government of the queen to
hand over William of Hohenzollern,
and from this point of view they
now renew that request and the
powers desire to remind the gov
ernment of The Netherlands that il
it should persist in its attitude of de-
tachment toward the presence of the
imperial family on its territory so
close to Germany it would assume
direct responsibility both for shell
tering from the claims of justice and
for that propaganda which is so dam
gerous to Europe and the whole
world.
New Center of Intrigue.
1T is indisputable that the perma-
nent presence of the ex-emperor un-
der Intellectual supervision a few
kilometers' distance from the Ger
man frontier, where he continues the
center of active and increasing in
trioue rorc flutes fnr the nouerS