Grand Forks daily herald., 1915-05-31
An INVITATION !
TO DEBATE, IS
PRESS OPINION
----
German Reply Not Regard
ed With Much Favor in
the United States.
FAILS TO REPLY
TO MAIN QUESTION
Eastern Newspapers, in Considering
KAiser's Answer to President WI
sons Note, Unable to Accept It a.
Anortline Satisfaction.
FAILS TO REPLY
TO MAIN QUESTION

The press Of the United States gen
orally shows disappointment at the
contents Of GormAny's reply to the
United States note on tho LuSitania
disaster, and excerpts from editorials
OF various newspapers Of the country
follow:
New York Herald.
Germany must respect the rights
Of non-combatants travelling upon the
high secs. II it does not, it cannot ex-
pect tho United States ito omit any
word or any act.'' TO quote the presi-
dents own words. necessary to the
performance Of its sacred duty. II
will not be diverted from that duty
By clubbing.
The reply Of the German govern
mont to the American note - les q
response than an invitation to debate.
The document 10 in the nature Of .
iponrparler. So far az It relates to
the main contention Of the American
protest, namely. that hecaus4 Of III
phySicAl character th6 ss6bnat4hs
cannot be enipioysA lawfully ASainSl
nnarmed .mefchnntrnon,4 even enemy
'nnesciantmen, there u tho somewhat
unaattsfactory answer that the i'm
/ sstaasmsats % q p itspe.a.,os 81 VII Il sssssa ~
TO the demands made in connection
5Nfkh the sinking OF the Lusitania until
.rSHlJ fs received from tho American
government"
St. Louis Glovo-Democrak
That the answer will not be Gatis-
factory to tho United States goes
without saying. nor 10 It at all proba-
ble that this government will consent
to a prolonged discussion Of moro OF
lens Irrelevant details while the sub
marines pursue their bloody way un-
deferred.
New York World.
The German note in response to the
American protest against submarine
attacks upon merchantmen does not
meet the issue.
It is worse than evaslee. 1t is in.
sincere, even pettifogging. Regret
Will be felt everywhere in the United
States that the affairs Of a great peo-
pie believed to be friendly have fallen
into tho hands Of men capable Of such
desperate trifing.
New York Press.
Berlin's answer to President Will
sons note is friendly, gracious and
unsatisfactory. The point as made
unmistakable in Mr.. Wilson'S note ie
that the Won Tirpitz admiralty must
stop slaughtering American citizens
whether in the case of a Gulfiight or
a Lusitania. whether by pairs or by
scores. The Berlin foreign office
speaks of a probable Misrepresentation.
There is ncne--there could be none.
philadelphia Enquiror.)
The reply is telnporizing in nature.
It Is a play for time; O studied effort
to involve this country iE a mean
ingless and long drawn-out discussion
far afield from the real point of issue.
To put it plainly, Germany Is trif-
ling with the United States. The
response is anything but satisfactory.
The real test of the statesmanship and
the backbone, also, let 1t be said, of
President Wilson. is about to be made.
The reply Is deliberately evasive. 1t
10 an answer which purposely docs
not answer. Germany evidently is
playing for time.
(Chicago Herald.)
The American people regret that
the German governments answer
fails wholly to meet the main points
at issue. both the specific point Of the
slaughter Of American citizens on the
Lusitania and the general point of
the 'impossibility of employing sub
marines in the destruction Of COM
merce without disregarding rules Of
fairness, reason. Justice and human
ity," the established principle of In
ternational law.