The daily monitor leader. [volume] (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1942-19??, 1943-04-23
BY DEWITT MACKENZIE

AS we make our vows to pun
ish the Japanese (ard the axis
powers as welD for their bar
barrie atrocities, the question
arises whether il wouldn't be a
good idea to formalize the gen.
eral program and announce it
forthwith as a joint United Ma
tons determination
If, for example, we could
agree that all atrocities would
be dealt with summarily at the
end of the war by courts martial
established by the armies of oc-
cupation, it might have re-
straining influence on the enc
my. There's a speed and finality
about courts martial which the
militaristic mind can appreciate,
whereas civil international
court would hold few terrors.
One is impelled to this thought
by remembrance that the allied
cry in the last wan to hang the
Kaiser" and others for their
war guilt" finally petered out
when it came to a show down.
David Lloyd George, Britain's
famous wartime prime minis
ter, was one of the leading ex-
ponents of this project, and he
even headed victorious cleo
ton campaign which featured
this issue.
PETERED OUT
When the peace conference as
sembled in Paris in January of
1919 it Immediately appointed a
committee on war responsible
ity, and this body recommended
that the Kaiser be tried before
tribunal made up of represen-
tatives of the United States,
Britain, France, Italy and Japan.
There also w blacklist of
900 other German leaders and
commanders, headed by Little
Willie, the crown prince.
Well. there were % countries
entitled 10 join in demanding
extradition of the Kaiser from
Holland, and their sentiment be-
came divided. Many Germans,
including the crown prince and
field marshal Vo.. Hindenburg,
volunteered TO stand trial for
the all highest. The eX-emper-
or's sons appealed to King
George Of England to save his
relative. The king was said to
have remarked that he thought
Wilhelm had been "Well pun
ished' already. The Kaiser was
reported to he threatened
suicide. But he denied this in
his memoirs.
Amid such an atmosphere of
hemming and having, the allies
made two dema - on Holland
for extradition of the emperor.
Both were rejected, and the
grandiose plan just curled up
and died.
There's no need for anything
Of that sort to happen in this
war The allied program, SO far
as has been indicated, contem-
plates military occupation of the
enemy countries after uncondi-
tiOnal surrender. 1t will be
long time before there can be
a peace conference. Meantime
military law presumably will
prevail.
LAUGH AT CIVIL TRIAL
The most expeditions way to
dispose of murder atrocities and
that sort of thing will be through
the courts martial. The armies
will have the facilities to round
up witnesses while the atroci-
ties are fresh in mind. Even
such lofty criminals as Japanese
premier TOTO and Herr Hitler
with his gang car. be dealt with
perfectly we'll by the military
courts. There's no need to 60
through all the rigmarole of
setting up an allied tribunal
with loud-speakers and notion
picture machines for the trials.
The war has reached a stage
where the axis is badly. wor-
ried, and the Japs know that
they stand or fall with Hitler.
This means that our enemy is at
the point where desperation may
produce even worse atrocities
than we have seen thus far.
The Japanese barbarians have
insolentlyL promised Especial
pass to hell" for any further
American airmen who bomb ia
pan - in other words, more exc
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