PUNISHING ENEMY CRIMES

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 76, 24 December 1918, Page 6

PUNISHING ENEMY CRIMES

BRITISH ATTOB-N'EY-GENEKAL'S VIEW. The British Attorney-General, Sir Frederick Smith, sneaking e.t Liverpool recently, dwelt on the possibility of punishing German crimes. "I have given close attention," said the Attorney-Gen-' eral, "to the subject of . international law, and I tell you plainly that there is in international law abundant warrant for the puishement, both.in their persons nnd in their purses, of proved and identified criminals. It has not been becoming, until the hope of victory was recently formed upon the events in the field, to talk of what we should do when victory came. That those persons who can be identified with universally admitted acts of outrage are to osagc.. with impunity is a view of tho situation which I certainly should find it difficult to accept. We are told it will not be possible for Germany to nay indemnities, although she herself is demanding .C 300,OOfl.OAfl from the Bolsheviki. There.are great assets in Germany. It is a matter which is irrelevant from one point of view as to Aether those assets are pledged by file German Government to the citizens of that country who have supplied the monev for the war to be carried on. The relevant answer on tho sub-i-.-t to Hip Germa" Gove'iinvnt is, 'You have pillaged and destroyed Belgium and ravaged France, and vour first obligation is to compensate Belgium and then Frai>"e. and then imj those who put up the money to enable you* to commit those outrages.'"