The Punishment of Germany.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 15658, 2 August 1916, Page 6

The Punishment of Germany.

Thetc will be warm approval throughout the Empire for Mr Asquith'6 important. statement of tho view which the British -Government take of tho horrible crimes against humanity which Germany is deliberately committing. The horror and indignation of unofficial people arc natural, but they are not very helpful. What has long been wanted is an official declaration that

the sinking of the Ltisitania, the massacre of helpless civilians in Belgium, the murder of Miss Cavell, the monstrous ill-treatment of prisoners of war, the enslaving of women and girls in the occupied district of France, the murder of Captain Fryatt —that 6uch. crimes as these shall be visited with individual punishment. This declaration we appear now to have obtained. "On behalf "of the Government, 1 ' Mr Asquith said, "I repeat emphatically our re- " solve that these crimes will not go " unpunished, and when tho time ar- " rives, wo will bring the criminals. " whatever their position, to justiec, "In eases such as this the man whe " authorised tho system under whicl " the cn.m 0 was committed may well b< "the most guilty of all." When, mucl earlier in the war, Sir Edward Grej announced that certain highly-placec persons m Turkey would be held per sonally responsible if certain threatenec crimes were committed, he was blamec for making threats which it was no intended should be carried into effect Instead of making threats, it wa.' urged, he should get on with tho war But it is impossible for anyone not t< take seriously the grave statement bi ?.e Prime Minister. The Germans wil no doubt reply that they are unmovec by such warnings, but it is highly prob able that, there will nevertheless b< some private modification of the in structions upon which the German com manders tire acting. But whatevo: modifications there may be, howevej correctly Germany may in future con auct the war, these crimes must b< punished. In every case the crimo ii committed either without authority—ii which case even the Germans woult J hardly deny that tho person responsibli should be punished—or else witl authority, a n d in this case the authority must issue from some individual oj small group of individuals. Somebody tfiat is to say, must in every case hav< used his position to oommand or 1< authorise an act which he has knowi to be illegitimate and contrary t 0 ever: law, but which he has personally wishec to see committed. The actual agent o the crime may be able to shelter him self behind the system, oode or com mand leading to act, but the prin ciples of international law, aided bi th© eyes of humanity and common sense can in every cas e easily enougl find a way through the maze s of th< system and tho technicalities of th< Gorman military machine, and come t< the individual finally responsible.

Even if Mr Asquith's statement does not impress Germany, it will not matter. What is supremely important is tuat It snail impress the people of tho British Empire, and tho Allied nations, and that tho punishment of tho ultimate criminals shall bo unwavcringlj' adhered to as an indisponsablo condition of peace. The Allied Governments havo been ablo to coroo to an agreement to mako peace iri common, and they havo agreed upon th 0 principles to be followed in dealing with trade flffter tiic war. They can as oagilv agree to .insist upon the infliction of individual punishment for acts which arc manifestly crimes interdicted by the laws relating to tho conduct of war. In tho meantime, of coursc, tho duty of Britain is to prosecuto tho war sternly and vigorously, and to resolve never to rest until the Gorman armies have been defeated on German soil. Peace will come ono day. but it will bo a poisonous peace, full of peril to tho souls of the nations, if it is not consecrated by tho complcto defeat of tho onomy and by tho extinction of the man or men who are, as individuals, responsible for the terribly crimes that have made the name of Germany a namo of horror and infamy. j