Evening star., 1921-07-10
BY THOMAS n. MARSHALL.
Former Vice President Of the United
States.

the pubic lie OF Europe
tend to disclose the star
thing and wholly deplorable
fact that the great world war was
only an incident in the life Of
mankind-not an event.
The first was the decision OF the
highest court OF Germany in tho
case Of Lieut.. Commander Neu-
mann, who was charged with tor
pedoing the British hospital ship,
Dover Castle. There was no dis
pute about the facts that he sank
the ship. tbat the crew perished.
that no one escaped through any
neglect Of his in seeking to de-
stroy all on board. None but an
ignorant or evil-minded man would
deny that this was an infamous
crime, backing up his opinion by
the decalogue and the golden rule,
by the ordinary dictates Of human
provisions Of the law Of nations.
And yet Neumann went acquit.
What reason did the court givef
Merely that he committed the
crime at the express orders of the
German admiralty and that obe-
dience to orders absolved him from
all responsibility to law, either
human of divine.
The judgment Of the court is
marvellous only in the light Of the
opinion Of many men that the
Prussian aristocracy was respon-
sible for the great war with all Its
cruelties and its horrors; that the
great mass Of the people OF Ger
many were not in accord with
their brutal system Of government;
that they should not be charged
with the barbarism Of militarism.
and that the German people. after
the emperor had been dethroned.
were in accord with those dictates
Of humanity which have come into
the law Of nations. through the
silent influences Of the Christian
religion.
canfot understand the COM
placency with which the decision
was received. In America. editorial
comment was scant. Does not the
decision reveal that the thought
that ruled Germany before 1914 Is
still dominant? Why is not the
world making the heavens ring
with it's protest against the In
fanny Of the thing?
A people Is to be Judged not
alone by its executive and legisla-
tive branches Of government. 1t
IL to be judged also by its judi
ciary. for from the judiciary flows
the deliberate judgment Of the
moral sense of a people. Univer-
sal condemnation by the German
people, SO whole-hearted as to
convince the rest Of the world Of
their sincerity. is needed or the
world will be convinced that the
German people have changed their
form Of government without al
tering its value.
This decision is at all fours with
the teaching Of Hegel that the
state is an entity which has no
connection with the moral ideas
Of the individual. 1t is a re-
announcement of the doctrine that
the king can do no wrong, that
the state bears no relations either
to Gods law or the individual
conscience, that whatever exer-
else Of power may be necessary
in order to subsist is justifiable,
however repugnant that power
may be to the common conscience
of mankind. Upon this doctrine
was based the whole gospel OF
frishtfulness: upon it William
justified his declaration that the
war was a war between conflict
Ing civilizations.
The world was willing to forget
the horrors and cruelties indicted
by Germany in the war 80 long
as it believed that they were the
result of German militarism. 1t
was willing to give the German
people the beneft Of the doubt as
to whether the cruelties were an
expression Of universal. German
sentiment. But now that Neu-
mann's crime has received tho ap-
proval Of the highest court Of
Germany 1t is needful for the
world to take notice that the peo-
pie Of Germany have been taught
from their earliest years that tho
state 10 q thing separate and apart
from the individuals who compose
1t, that it has no responsibility to
any law either human or divine
which would initiate against the
maintenance Of the supremacy OF
the state. This sentiment may not
be dishonest. It arose from train
ing and education. Free democ-
racies Of the world. however. may
we'll consider this state OF mind
and habit Of thought to the end
that the German people may not
be admitted upon an equality with
their peoples until different
courses Of training and education
shall have imbued the people OF
Germany with . different idea as
to what constitutes modern civil
ixation.
4 d 4
The second occurance was In
onnection with the act Of SEN
ator Duplantier IN placing before
the French senate an interpola-
tion on what measures the French
government intended to take con-
earning execution Of the treaty
Of versailles relative to bringing
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