Cheyenne record., 1915-06-17
WILSON'S SECOND NOTE TO GERMANY
PRESIDENT ASSURANCES AMER
icAN sAFEeuARDEp, DECLARES ToRPEoDINo
LusTANIA ORDINARY SUBJECTS FOR oIPLo
Information Held BY America.

Information Held by America.
Fortunately, these are matters con-
corning which the government of the
United States is in q position to give
the imperial German government Of
ficial information.
OF the facts alleged in your excel
lency's note, II true, the government
of the United States would have been
bound to take official cognizance in
performing its recognized duty as q
neutral power and in enforcing Its
national laws.
It was its duty to see to It that the
Lusitania was not armed for offens-
i've action; that she was not serving
as a transport; that she did not carry
a cargo prohibited by the statutes OF
the United States and that, If in fact
she was naval vessel of Great Brit
ain she should not receive clearance
as merchantmen; and it performed
that duty and enforced its statutes
with scrupulous vigilance through its
regularly constituted officials.
Submission Of Evidence Suggested.
It is able, therefore, to assure the
imperial German government that 1t
has been misinformed. If the imperial
German government should deem it's
self to be in possession of convincing
evidence that the officials of the gov
ernment of the United States did not
perform these duties with thorough
ness, the government of the United
States sincerely hopes that 1t will
submit that evidence for considera-
tion.
Whatever may be the contentious
of the imperial German government
regarding the carriage of contraband
of war on board the Lusitania or re-
garding the explosion of that material
by the torpedo, it need only be said
that in the view of this government
these contentious are irrelevant to
the question of the legality of the
methods used by the German naval
authorities in sinking that vessel. But
the sinking Of passenger ships in
wolves principles of humanity which
throw into the background any special
circumstances of detail that may be
thought to affect the cases, princi-
Pies which lift it, as the imperial
government will no doubt be quick
to recognize and acknowledge, out of
the class or ordinary subjects of dip
lomatic discussions or of international
controversy.
Whatever be the other facts regard
ing the Lusitania, the principal fact
Is that great steamer primarily and
chiefly a conveyance for passengers,
and carrying more than thousand
souls who had no part or lot in the
conduct of the war, was torpedoed and
sunk without SO much as a challenge
or warning, and that men, women
o. nd rhi1drop 70 hnf 1ao h
in circumstances unparalleled in mod
ern warfare.
The fact that more than one hun
dred American citizens were among
those who perished, made 1t the duty
OF the government of the United
States to speak of these things and
once more, with solemn emphasis, to
call the attention of the imperial Ger
man government to the grave respon-
sibility which the government of the
United States conceives that 1t has in
CURED in this tragic occurrence, and
to the indisputable principle upon
which that responsibility rests.
America Contends for all Humanity.
The government of the United
States is contending for something
much greater than mere rights of
property or privileges OF commerce.
1t is contending for nothing less high
and sacred than the rights of human
ity, which every government honors
itself in respecting and which no gov
ernment is justified in resigning on
behalf Of those under its care and
authority.
Only her actual resistance to cap
ture or refusal to stop when ordered
to do so for the purpose of visit could
have afforded the commander of the
submarine any justification for so
much as putting the lives of those on
board the ship in jeopardy.