Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-07-10
u. S. OFFICIALS NOT
SATISFIED WITH NOTE
TContinued from First Page. !

continued from First Page.1
in disseminating diplomatic intercourse
with Germany. Germany's complete
evasion of liability for the loss of AM
orleans on the Lusitania has revived
the subject most acutely according to
well informed persons.
Many are Disappointed
For several days there has been an
undertone of disappointment and ap-
prehension over what Ambassador
Gerard informed the State Depart
ment that the German note would con-
tain. The feeling has been, however,
that nothing formal or official could be
said concerning the American posi-
ton until the official text arrived.
President Wilson has been giving quiet
consideration to the character of the
reply and some of his advisers already
have been making suggestions with
reference to the course that should be
pursued.
Analyzing the German answer to-
day, officials found little on which it
appeared that the negotiations could
be further prolonged. The United
States had devoted it's attention to the
principle that Americans should be
able to travel on the high seas on un-
armed and unresisting belligerent mer-
chant ships of any nationality in ac-
cordance with previously recognized
surances had been asked that before
any destruction would be attempted
the visit and search of peaceful ves-
sells and the transfer of passengers
and crew to a place of safety would
be accomplished. 1t was recognized
that Germany in its latest note has
ignored this vital question and had
shifted, now emphasizing the condi-
tions under which 1t would promise
complete immunity from danger to
Americans travelling even on American
ships; a situation which since Ger
many's circular note with reference to
neutral vessels received on May IL had
not been called into question.
Ready to Destroy Ships
The expression by Germany of a
confident hope" that the United
States will assume to guarantee that
those vessels have no contraband on
board to be agreed upon by naval
authorities of both Sides" left the i'm
plication in the minds of many off,
cials that Germany was prepared to
destroy American passenger ships If
they were found to be carrying contra
band. Even though passengers and
crew of a neutral ship were trans
ferred to a place of safety, the
destruction of the vessel for carrying
contraband has been held by the
United States to be in violation of in
case. With reference to destruction
of American ships. such destruction
has been held specifically to be in
violation of the Prussian- Am erican
treaty of 1928. 1t was recalled that
in the last note which Germany sent
on the Frye case, this treaty was given
a new Interpretation in that the right
to stop American ships carrying con-
traband and even to destroy them
was declared for the first time to be
a natural inference from the language
of the treaty.
The reference in the new note to
the Lusitania tragedy created a pro-
found impression. After having asked
the United States in the first place to
consider that the Lusitania was In
reality an armed auxiliary cruiser and
carried high explosives which the Am
erican Government in its note contra
dicted with official information, the
German Government it now seemed,
had formally justified the action of
the submarine commander in sinking
the vessel thereby refusing to dis
avow the act as the United States had
requested. The statement that the
German submarine commander could
not have halted the vessel without
su admitting his boat and crew to dan
ger of destruction and the assertion
that It was not expected that the
after being torpedoed, but would re-
main afoat while passengers were re-
moved in her boats, was taken to
mean that Germany held that regard
less of whether the Lusitania was
armed the submarine commander took
proper course in torpedoing the
ship without warning.