The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-09-05
HENRY JAMES, REASONS
FOR BECOMING ALIEN
Philadelphia Surgeon I'm American
Hospital In France Writes
Spectator.
DISIdKED OFFICIAL ACTS.
According TO DIR. j. William White
James Was Moved by Americas
Failure. To Assert and Defend
Rights.

Or J. William White, who left
/ philadelphia in jane at the head OF a
, ~1rps Of doctors ard nurses for tho
+ American Hospital at Neuilly, France.
, during "a recent visit to England wrote
the following letter TO the London
I Spectator:
/ Sri have been asked 50 frequent
4 ly during The last fortnight as 10 the
! real meaning Of Mr.. Henry James
. recent rcnunciatton Of American citi-
zenship that J feel inclined to make
! pHhllC my own interpretation OF that
act J have no authority 10 speak
for him. bat ] have ample reason To
believe that, tn addition TO the very
gonuine feelings and motives he has
already made public. there was an
other and pronably a controlling fac
TOR that made him reach his decision
+ at this junCture This was intense
DISLIKE for and disa probation If the
official attitude 81 America since the
beginning Of the wary
He has watched wi@l increasing dis
approval the loss 81 opportunity after
opportunity 10 assert and defend. not
only the rights If ali neutral nations.
hut the principles Of civilization and
~ humanity.
j
wth such extraordinary pollteuess
that it involved the entire disregard az
truth--uottfy Germany that Her war
zone decree, issued early In February,
involved IAN indcfansitle violation If
neutral rights" and the United States
would hold her 70 "a strict aCcounta-
! htlitv for such acts" as thise Indicated
by the decree.
He observed the answer to be the
murder Of an American citizen on
the T0laba: then attacks upon two
! American vessels; and then rae kill
ing and drowning OF more than 100
! Americans on the F.usitauia manv Of
them women and little children.
He has then watched our Govern
ment again notify Germany--and
"A aain with great politeness-t the
attacks upon Americans are 'ahso-
f1tely contrary 10 the rules, the praC-
iicea- aud the suirif Of modern MAI
fare, t'aat no plea Of military neces-
sitS'' or Of having given warnings
i could palliate "an unlawful and inhu-
name act; that the attacks upon
Americans must cease, ard that Amer
lea expected the Imperial German
Government 81 to disavow the acts;
/ p to take immediate steps to pre-
vent their recurrence. and az to
make such reparation as might he
possible
Insults TO America
He saw that iii answer Germany did
rot do one single one Of the three
things dema ndcd. sac did not disa-
vow the acts; on the contrary. she de-
Tended them. She did not take steps
TO prevent their recurrence; instead
she savagely and without warning at
tackled another merEhant ship, the
orduno, carrying American passen-
gers. and torpedoed an American ship
! the Nebraskan. AS to rcparation. She
did not even altude to it, but made lg-
Ing statements about the Lusitania and
her cargo and her murdered passen-
gers, statements which We're In them
selves an insult to America. because If
they had been true they would have
convicted our own Government of
gross negligence or incapacity In the
discharge Of It's duty as a neutral
He Mas then watched the American
Government once more politely re-
t'erate very earnestly and very sol
EMMY It's former demands. and with
equal earnestness and solemnity lay
down the fundamental principles gov
erhinG the issue, principles which in
VoiVe nothing less high ana sacred
than the rights Of humanity" Itself
And he has waited again for reply
from Germany. watch. when II came.
contained no disavowal, no offer Of
PREPARATION. no pledge for the future
nut instead flat denial Of Germany's
Willingness to conform to either the
customs of civilized warfare or the
+ regulations of International law, cou-
pied with the proposal to let Amer
leans use the high seas In safety,
provided they should use certain ships
and obey certain rules laid down by
Germany: the reply actually, with I'M
precendented insolenCe naming to a
great power the number of ships 1t
would graciously he permitted to have
its people sail unon-->and live
Notes too Polite.
And then after another delay he
has seen still another note-almost az
polite as the first one-sent by his
country to Germany, the gist of which
was that II she murdered any more
Americans II would be regarded as an
I nhfrIendly act Ascrbing the
weightiest possible significance to that
term as used In the devious and OBJ
scure language Of diplomacy. it seem
ed to him so far from meeting the re-
+ Guirements of the situation. so far
from upholdine the honor and dignity
! or AN outraged ard insulted nation
that he did not desire any longer to
bear even the one hundredth mlliont,l
part OF either the responsibility or the
shame Who can blame him? Az one
Of our papers has said.
Between the German and the
i American Governments there lie not
only arrogant provocation and dis
honored laws and contemptuousiy dis
regarded scraps Of paper, but the
bodies OF more than 100 American
citizens treacherously and foullv slain
I when wholesale murder becomes n
4 nj subject Of arbitration. and when
admitted. defended. and boasted acts
I Of official assassination can be nut
aside in favor of diplomatic discus
sion of irrelcvancies reply In kind
/ may he sent to Berlin"
/ I wonder how many Americans.
abroad and at home who have thought
/ over this record OF the last six months
nave felt ashamed for their country.
/ Not many. II eourse. have the col.
lateral reasons. the l6nR residence In
England the daily association and in
innate friendship with it's people the
+ apu71trerppnf of