The Idaho Republican., 1915-06-25
justice and
Humanity and
Rights on Seas

American rejoiner to the German
governments reply to the note fol
lowing the sinking of the Lusitanis
follows:
"The secretary of state ad interim
to the American ambassador to Ber.
lin;
! Department of State, Washington
June 8, 1915.
American Ambassador, Berlin:
"You are instructed to deliver tax
tually the following note to the min.
lister of foreign affairs:
Z "In compliance with your excel.
lencvy's request, l did not fail tc
transmit to my government immed.
lately upon receipt your note of May
2S in reply to my note of May 15
and your supplementary note of June
1, setting forth the conclusions Sc
far as furnished by the imperial Ger
man government concerning the at
taaks on the American steamers
Cushing and Gulflight. l am now in
structel by my government to COM
municate the following in reply:
Freedom of Seas
"The government of the United
States notes with qualification the
full recognition by the imperial Ger
man government, in discussing the
cases of the Cushing and Gulflight,
Of the principle Of the freedom OF
all parts of the open sea to neutral
ships, and the frank willingness of
the imperial government to acknow-
ledge and meet its liability where the
fact of attack upon neutral ships,
which have not been guilty of any
hostile act, by German aircraft or
vessels of war in satisfactorily estab-
lished; and the government OF the
United States will in due course lay
before the imperial German govern
men, as it requests, full information
concerning the attack on the steamer
Cushing.
Sinking of the Falaba
with regard to the sinking of the
steamer Falaba, by which an Ameri-
can citizen lost his life, the govern
ment of the United States is surprised
to find the imperial German govern
ment contending that an effort on the
part of merchantmen to escape cap
,ture and secure assistance alters the
obligation of the officer seeking to
make the capture in respect of the
safety of the lives of those on board
the merchantmen, although the ves-
sci has ceased her attempt to escape
when torpedoed. These are not new
circumstances. They have been in
the minds of statesmen and of inter
national jurists throughout the devel-
opment of naval warfare, and the
government of the United States does
not understand that they have ever
been held to alter the principles of
humanity upon which it has insisted.
Nothing but actual forcible resistance
or continued efforts to escape by fight
when ordered to stop for the purpose
of visit on the part of the merchant
man has ever been held to forfeit the
lives of her passengers or crew. The
government of the United States,
however does not understand that the
imperial German government is seek
ing in thise case to relieve itself Of
liability, but only intends to set forth
the circumstances which led the COM
mander of the submarine to allow
himself to be hurried into the course
which he took.
German Contentious
"Your excellency's note, in discus
sing the loss of American lives re-
sulting from the sinking of the steam
ship Lusitania, adverts at some length
to certain information which the i'm
perial German government has re-
ceived with regard to the character
and outfit of that vessel and your ex-
cellency expresses the fear that this
Information may not have been
brought to the attention of the gov
ernment of the United States. 1t is
stated in the note that the Lusitania
was undoubtedly equipped with mask
ed guns, supplied with trained gum
ners and special ammunition, trans
porting troops from Canada, carrying
a cargo not permitted under the laws
of the United States to a vessel also
carrying passengers, and serving, in
virtual effect, as an auxiliary to the
naval forces of Great Britain. For
tunately these are matters concern
ing which the government of the
United States is in a position to give
the imperial German government Of
ficial information. OF the facts al
legged in your excellency's not, If true,
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