Perhaps we shall be told that the last thing the
interned Germans here want is to be repatriated, and that the great majority of them would refuse to go back. That certainly is a difficulty ; but surely it could be met by rusking the American diplomatists through whom such negotiations take place to tell the Germans that if our civilian prisoners were all returned, we would send them back as many of their nationals over and above the four thousand as could be induced, without positive coercion, to return to their native land. Of course, if any English civilian prisoners preferred to remain in Germany, we should allow them to do so. What we desire is the abandonment of the system of civilian intern- ment. We also wish to protest as strongly as possible against the notion that on a moral question we are to follow the lead of Germany. We have got to set an example to the world, not to higgle with our enemies in a swap over the unfortunate people on both aides who were caught up in the wheels of the machine of war.
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