Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1915-05-20

struction Of an unarmed merchant
man, and recognize also. as all other
nations do, the obligation to take the
usual precaution of visit and search
to ascertain whether a suspected mer-
chairman is in fact of belligerent nj
tionality or is in fact carrying contra
band of war under a neutral flag.
Fairness impossible With Submarines.
'The government Of the United
States, therefore, desires to call the
attention of the Imperial German gov
eminent with the utmost earnestness
to the fact that the objection to their
present method of attack against the
trade of their enemies lies In the prac-
teal impossibility of employing sub
marines in the destruction Of com-
merce without disregarding those
rules Of fairness, reason, justice and
humanity which all modern opinion
regards as imperative. 1t is practi-
cally impossible for the officers of a
submarine to visit a merchantmen at
sea and examine her papers and car
go. 1t is practically impossible for
them to make a prize Of her, and, if
they cannot put a prize crew on board
of her, they cannot sink her without
leaving her crew and all on board of
her to the mercy of the lei in her
small boats. These facts. 1t is under
stood, the Imperial German govern
ment frankly admits. We are in
formed that in the instances of which
we have spoken, time enough for even
that poor of safety "a not
given, and in at least two of the
cited not SO much as a warning was
received. Manifestly submarines can
not be used against merchantmen, as
the last few weeks have shown, with
out an inevitable violation of many
sacred principles of justice and hui
mainly.
American citizens act within their
iDdisputable rights in taking their
ships and in travelling wherever their
legitimate business calls them upon
the high seas and exercise those
rights in what should be the we'll
justified confidence that their lives
will not be endangered by acts done
in clear violation Of universally ac-
knowleged international obligation.
and certainly in the confidence that
their own government will sustain
them in the exercise Of their rights.
Apology and Reparation Expected.
There was recently published in
the newspapers of the United States,
l regret to inform the Imperial Ger
man government, a formal warning
purporting to come from the Imperial
German embassy at Washington, adj
dressed to the people OF the United
States and stating in effect that any
citizen of the United States who ex-
e~rcises his right of free travel upon
the seas would do so at his peril if
his journey should take him within
the zone OF water within which the
Imperial German navy "a using sub
marines against the commerce Of
Great Britain and France, notwith-
standing the respectful but very
earnest protest Of his government,
the government Of the United States.
| do not refer to this for the purpose
of calling the attention of the Imperial
German government at this time to
the surprising i~rregularity of a COM
m%unication from the Imperial Ger
man embassy at Washington, adj
dressed to the people of the United
States through the newspapers, but
only for the purpose of pointing out
that no warning that an unlawful and
inhuman act would be committed can
possibly be accepted as an excuse or
palliltion for that act or as an abate-
ment .of the responsibility for its
commission.
Long acquainted as this government
has been with the character of the
Imperial German government and
with the high principles Of equity by
which they have in the past been
actuated and guided, the government
of the United States cannot believe
that the commanders of the vessel
which committed these acts Of law
~lessness did SO except under a mis-
apprehension of the orders issued by
the Imperial German naval authori-
ties. 1t takes it for granted that, at
least within the practical possibilities
of every such case, the commanders,
even Of submarines, were expected
to do nothing that would involve the
lives of noncombatants or the safety
of neutral ships, even at the cost OF
failing of their object of capture OF
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