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Show oo GERARD'S FOUR YEARS IN GERMANY. dur former ambassador to Germany, Ger-many, James W. Gerard, is syndicating syndicat-ing a series of articles on his four years In Germany, which are copy-; copy-; righted. Some of tho events of which he writes will become historical and much that ho tells should be public property, tho copyright being indefens-, indefens-, iblo when attached to such documents as the Kaiser's telegram to President Wilson on August 14, 101-1. It is our opinion every paper in the TJnited States should be free to give the substance of the ambassador's official of-ficial conferences with Emperor William, Wil-liam, Chancellor von Bethmann-Holl-weg and other Germans. Mr. Gerard undoubtedly Is reporting report-ing Ivith great fidelity the conversa- tions he had with distinguished Ger-j Ger-j mans and is giving the American people peo-ple an accurate account of the most j important occurrences which came 1 under his notice in the war zone, but he has made a mistake in putting out r tho information in a commercialized form. His writings are his own, but ; I the facts should be public property. But notwithstanding this blunder, Mr. Gerard is doing the cause of hu- jnanlty a great service in unmasking I the treachery of Germany. In one of his interviews with the Kaiser at Charleville, Ambassador Gerard Ge-rard was frankly informed that there was no longer any international law, and, to this statement Bethmann-Holl-weg agreed. This Is equivalent to civilized man refusing to be bound by L the restraints of law. BP' Gerard declares that as soon as the l war entered a phase of great uncer-I uncer-I tainty for the central empires, all the I higher officials of Germany began to I urge on him the necessity of peace, and thoy insisted that the duty of bringing poaco rostod with the United States. Gerard ropliod to thoso repeated re-peated demands that Inasmuch nB his country had not started tho conflict, tho United States could not be obligated obli-gated to end the war, which was sound reasoning and an apt reply. |