Evening star., 1942-10-22

90, as useless as
Henry McLemors. g silent alarm
clock. and about as necessary as
bicarbonate of soda In a kinder
garten.
The general purpose Of a trial. as
used to tell my classes when I
was dean of Harvard Law School,
is to establish either the innocence
or guilt of the accused. If any Of
you who are reading this studied
law under me at Harvard you will
recall Dean McLemore Dizzy Dean
McLemore, as I was affectionately
known hammering home this truth.
AS DR.. Eliot, himself, once said to
me as he peered around his 5-foot
bookshelf
Dizzy, you sho'nuff can hammer
home truth"
But enough of these happy rec
objections Of the days before I was
defrocked, disbarred and feathered.
| Is there any doubt whatsoever Of
Hitler's guilt, or the guilt of his
bloody-handed helpers? Can there
be any need to try him before a
Judge and jury to determine whether
or not he is a wrongdoer? Is there
any one who doubts his right to
stand among the all-time criminals
after Warsaw, Rotterdam, Lidice,
| Coventry and all the others? He
already has been tried before the
civilized world and has been con-
demned.
The very fact that most of the
world has risen against Hitler,
taken up arms in an effort to
destroy him and all he stands for
Cor doesn't stand for) is sufficient
proof that men everywhere &C
knowledge his guilt. Else why are
we fighting? Certainly the United
Nations leaders aren't asking men
to lay down their lives in battle
against a man unless they feel that
he is so desperate that he must be
done away with.
If a trial of Hitler and his accom-
plices is held. it will present many
a problem. To begin with. where
would his defense counsel come
from? Who would take that Job?
You could scout the earth and all
its ends without finding a man so
base that he would stand before
the world and offer a Justification
for what the Axis leaders have
done. And, even if such a man ap-
peared, the next step would be to
put him in the dock along with the
other prisoners and try him at the
same time.
Selection Of jury would be a bit
difficult, too. Juries are supposed to
be composed Of unbiased men, men
willing to listen to both sides and
then render verdict without fear
or favor. 1t would be quite task
to find II civilized men who
wouldn't meet before the first
"Oyez! Oyez!" was oyezed by the
bailiff and, while hanging up their
! hats, vote to give the works, the
full works, and nothing but the
works, to 4.itler, Mussolini. TOTO,
Himnler. Quisling and all the
others.
X
And what about the business Of
swearing to tell the truth? What
judge and jury could keep from
yelling Liar" when the likes of
Goebbels stepped on the witness
stand and repeated the oath? 1t
would be the same as having a
mouse swear he wouldn't touch the
cheese if allowed to spend the night
In the 1cebox.
II court must meet after the war
to deliberate on matters concerning
Hitler and his hoodlums, let it
deliberate on the proper punish
ment for them. They shouldn't get
of with exile to castle, and fire.
wood chopping rights as did an
earlier Warmonger Some wise body
OF men should concoct a really
fitting punishment.
1t can't be any of the standard
brands of punishment. They are
too easy and quick. Theirs must
be punishment that rolled into
one. combines all the physical suf-
1erlng, all the heartaches, all the
tortures of the mind that they
inflicted on the helpless peoples of
the world.
What is it2
don't know, but what | wouldn't
give to be included in the group
that finally decides what it will be.
Distributed by McNaupht Svrd;.,.. p.