The Daily News. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 1920. PEACE TREATY DEVELOPMENTS.

Taranaki Daily News, 19 February 1920, Page 4

The Daily News. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 1920. PEACE TREATY DEVELOPMENTS.

"The dramatic decisions of the Allied Conference at London last week concerning the fate of the ex-Kaiser and war criminals, and the fate of Constantinople, followed by President Wilson's bombshell, which threatens to destroy the proposed Jugo-Slav settlement, have stirred the world deeply." These are the words contained in a recent cable message from London, and they only faintly represent the feeling of all sane citizens of the Empire in regard to the unaccountable action of the Allies on matters gravely affecting the terms op~the Peace Treaty. Mr. Bonar jjaw's denial contained in a subsequent cable, to the effect that the announcement of the decisions of the Allies was unauthorised, must be taken strictly at its face value, for there seems, in the light of other Press messages, no doubt that the Allies have given way in the matter of bringing the war criminals to trial, and that Germany has scored another triumph in being permitted to undertake the trial of the culprits, though the Allies reserve the right under the Treaty to bring these culprits to trial if they are not satisfied with the result of the German proceedings. It may be recalled that in October, 1918, Lord Northcliffe, when addressing a large company of American officers in London, said: — "We are in the presence of the great cnomy peace offensive, which we always knew would conn; when the enemy felt himself beaten on the battlefield. Unless we face it resolutely, with united hearts and clear minds, it may prove more dangerous to us than were his military offensives

Are we to 'haggle with the Germans? No! Our Government—every associated Government—must make up, or, if need be, must be made to me.ke up, its own mind and agree with its fellows. Then, with minds made, they must tell the Germans what are our irreducible terms —irreducible because framed strictly in accordance with justice—and the Germans must take them or leave them at their peril." Much has transpired since these words were uttered, but German methods remain the same to-day as then. The haggling tactics continue unabated, every effdrt that human ingenuity can devise being directed towards evading 'performance of the Treaty stipulations so as to avoid the punishment which justice demands. It is at the present moment impossible to arrive at any rational conclusions as to the action of the Allies with regard to war criminals and other important issues owing to the bewildering inconsistencies of the cable messages. Presumably the terms of the Peace Treaty were settled after the most careful and mature consideration. In that case they should be either enforced.or the Treaty scrapped, for if Germany is allowed to whittle down the terms the result may, as stated by Lord Northcliffe, be more dangerous to us than the German military offensive. "We do not cteim that the door should be barred against reasonable modifications if just cause can be shown for leniency, but the punishment of Avar criminals is the most important moral feature of the treaty, calling for a firm and determined insistence. Take the case of the ex-Kaiser. Dr. Muhlon's diary records: "The Kaiser himself said, in the presence of an assemblage of officers, that lie had enough prisoners; he hoped the officers would see to it that no more were taken." He knew of, and could have stopped by the lifting of a finger, the cruel ill-treatment of British prisoners in his camps, instead of which he rewarded the gaolers with promotions, crosses and smiles, while the execution of Captain Pryatt and Edith Cavell were carried'out after he had been consulted personally. If the ex-Kai-ser is not, brought to trial, there is certainly some' excuse for not persisting in the demand for the surrender of subordinates, for to allow the arch-criminal to escape punishment—if only banishment —and to concentrate on dealing with his satellites would be a violation of the canons of justice, just as this trial in Germany will be a grotesque farce. It is quite conceivable that the "black list," as presented by all the Allies, is of too wide a scope, and that in the case of many of the alleged criminals it would be difficult to bring them to justice. That, however, conld be remedied by a revision, and when the irreducible number is reached no further concession should be made. The outstanding difficulty over the Treaty with Turkey is the religious problem and its effect on India and Egypt, but that should not prevent the relegation of the Turks to Asia, clearing them out of Europe—bag and baggage. With regard to the Adriatic question, every effort should be made to avoid friction wtih President Wilson, but the new nationalities look to the Allies for protection and justice, and they should hot look in vain. America's aid in

the war is rightly recognised and appreciated, but that does not entitle her to dictate the Allies' policy, and this should be made perfectly clear to the President. Mr. Lloyd George recently stated that Britain, France and Italy were in perfect accord on all points. Admitting this to be the case, that accord should he evidenced by a firm and unwavering policy to uphold the Peace Treaty in its entirety. Any sign of weakness will encourage the Germans tofurther contumacy and intrigue, the result of Avhich may be to wreck both the Treaty and the League Covenant.