The Fugitive Hohenzollerns.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16369, 14 November 1918, Page 6

The Fugitive Hohenzollerns.

One of to-day's cable messages mentions that tho arrival in Holland of the Kaiser and his suite is causing much uneasiness to the Dutch authorities. It is further asserted by the Dutch newspapers that the Dutch Government will not interfere with the Kaiser if he dresses as a civilian, but we should have thought that the duty of the Dutch Government was plain enough, since tho Kaiser wa9 a belligerent when he crossed the frontier. The 57th article of the Hague Convention of 1899, translated into tho special Convention (V.) of 1907, is as follows: — A neutral Power which receives in its territory troops belonging to the belligerent armies shall intern them, as far as possible at a distance from the theatre of war. It can keep them in camps, and even confine them in fortresses or locations assigned for this purpose. It shall decide whether officers may he left at liberty on giving their parole that they will not leave the neutral territory without authorisation. Extradition can only be demanded on the ground that they are criminals. The owner of a chateau looted by the Crown Prince (the report of whose death is said to b» confirmed, although not on official authority) ■would seem to have good ground to charge him with larceny, which is an extraditable offence. Piracy, the sinking or destroying a ship at sea, and attempting or conspiring to do so, are also extraditable offences according to the law of England. No one can contend that tho sinking of tho Lusitania does not come within the category cited, and there is surely enough prima facie evidence to show that the Kaiser was responsible for this crime to justify any Dutch Court in ordering him to be given up to be tried for the offences. It will then be open to him to plead that he was not responsible for the crimes which have undoubtedly been committed by men under his orders, and whose actions he publicly approved and apt plauded. There were murder of civii lians and other crimes not justified by the rules of war, committed by German troops under tho immediate command of the Crown Prince and Hindenburg, and under tho supreme command of the Kaiser. These, in our judgment, would give good ground for the French and Belgian Governments to demand the extradition of tho fugitives who are seeking to save their own skins by foisting themselves on the hospitality of any neutral State.