The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-05-09
GERMANY AGAINST THE WORLD.


sainiy at her present rate she will have none.
Austria and Turkey are held in ward by their
necessity If Germany has single. other
friend In the world today the world is in ignor.
ance of it And the condition Is Germanys
sault
Had any man year ago today stood before
the American people and declared that today the
greater part OF the world would he at war, he
might have been accorded hearing But had
my man declared that IN the prosecution of that
Cod and man. treaties, pledges law. morality
overything, that man would have been laughed
sout OF America
But those things have happened, The sinking
-<bf The Hasitan4a, We agree waE not technically
% much stab in the side of this country as
- the sinking of the Gulflight Actually his
tory will write no greater crime against the
record of any nation than the dastardly, In
Famous murder of the passengers and crew of
the Lusftania-unless II be the ravishing Of
Belgfum. One of those crimes would constitute
burden of sufficient weight to sink any one
nation In the ruck of universal contumely.
Staggering under both, and what other future
crimes we do not undertake to predict, II is
difacuIt to understand how Germany can hope
sfc face the future or now her people expect
decent nations to hold communication with Ger
many She is & moral and international leper.
Al the beginning of the war Germany rewrote
her code of ethics by the Belgian slaughter.
From that time she has continued her mao
course. While public attention was neither so
focused nor 90 Mortified at the sinking OF the
Falabs. and the Gulflight, the German con-
ssacnee had steeled Itself to any lengths. She
has aigned past excuse. almost past forgiveness.
Germany had every right OF war-we do not
admit that there Is an inherent right of war
4 i'd seize. sink. ravage, scuttle, or otherwise
Nreek her hate on the hull OF the Lusitania and
any other British ships she might be able to
capture There is not an agency which will dis
pufe or criticize her for taking such an ad-
#vantage of those privileges which war bestowed
npon her against the property of her enemy.
nj Germany had no moro right over the persons
sAnd property OF the neutral noncombatant pas
sengerx than mob of outlaws has over the per-
s1ons and lives of helpless women. Slapped in
III face, the whole world is yet stunned at the
strority. And even had Germany a legal, an
I f1disputably legal right over the lives Of the
r1n1n and had exercised only her legal right. she
NouId have received she condemnation of his
Strey.
W The facts that face us are these: Shall we
Nfenent the outrage, and how? We cannot resent
s1f save as an unspeakabe bit of savagery. we
have no rights over the ship or the waters, but
oyer savagery there Is always right.
Relieying, as we do. that Germany has in this
~. and those acts of similar nature that have
eone before 1T. snped as never nation has sinned
sbefpre, we yet face the future with confidence
|s4n the se!frestraint of people that Is un-
aBSh.ken. II is our task to use every honorable
leans to lessen rather than TO increase the hor-
@3prs that have eneompased the world since war
y unke In a storm over our universe. We do not
8 rlieye Germany has any doubt as to what all
~ world thinks ef her action That opinion can
xer be bettered even when Germany has ex-
y 1oted in blood and tears the crimes she mas
knitted
f,ur government must decide its position That
Yin express in no uncertain terms its horror
SA resentment at such barbarism do not
IN. And Germany must henceforth know tsat
has sinned away her day of grace. She her
n has chosen to be the enemy Of America and
ne world