The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1915-09-08
PUT IN WRITING
GERMANY ACCEPTS PRINCIPLES
OF PRESIDENT WILSON
VICTORY OF CONSEQUENCE

| Chief Justice White Says it is Great
est Achievement in American Di-
plomacy for a Generation-Liners
to be Warned and Passengers Say
ed Before They are Sunk.
Germany has accepted the declara-
! ton of the United States in the sub
marine warfare controversy. Vount
Won Bernstorff, the German ambassa-
dor, Wednesday gave written assur-
ances to Secretary Lansing that no
more passenger ships would be sunk
without warning.
After a conference at the state de-
partment Ambassador Won Bernstorff
sent Secretary Lansing this letter:
My Dear Mr. Secretary: With
reference to our conversation of this
morning, beg to inform you that my
instructions concerning our answer
to your last Lusitania note contains
the following passage:
Liners will not be sunk by
our submarines without warning
I and without safety of the lives of
non-conbatants, provided that the,
liners do not try to escape or Of
fer resistance
although l know that you do not
wish to discuss the Lusitania ques-
tion till the Arabic incident has been
definitely and satisfactorily settled,
desire to inform you of the above be-
cause this policy of my government
was decided on before the Arabic in
cident occurred.
'I have no objection to your max
ing any use you may please of the
above information.
'tI remain. my dear Mr.. Lansing,
very sincerely yours,
81. Bernstorff.
| In connection with the letter Sec
reary Lansing made the following
statement: "In view of the clearness
OF the foregoing statement, it seems
needless to make any comment in re.
gard to j other than to say that il
appears to be recognition of the
fundamental principle for which we
have contended."
Bernstorff's letter was forwarded
| to President Wilson. No formal COM
ment was made at the White House
but on every hand there was evidence
of qualification that the submarine
crisis had passed and that Germany
had acknowledged the justice of the
principles for which President Viii.
son has been contending.
| Announcement that the German
policy had been decided upon before
the sinking of the Arabs perfectly
agrees with information upon which
American officials had been depend
ing. Soon after the last Lusitania
! note was sent, President Wilson un-
derstood there would not be another
such disaster The sinking of the
Arabic therefore came as double
shock.
Inasmuch as it seems to have been
established that the submarine
which sunk the Arabic has been de-
stroyed by a British patrol boat, the
exact circumstances may never be de-
termined other than by testimony
from British and American sources,
The German governments state
ment that before the sinking of the
Arabic her submarine commanders
| had been ordered to sink no more
passenger ships without warning may
be taken as disavowal Of that act
The question of reparation for the
Americans who lost their-lives on the
| Lusitania, the Arabic andotherships
which have been torpedoed probably
| will be the next step in the proceed
ing:
Secretary Lansing has steadfastly
refused to discuss the Lusltania case
with the German ambassador until
the Arabic incident was disposed OF.
Now, it is believed, the way has been
opened for considering the Lusitania
Apparently the American govern
ment has accepted the German decla-
ration as meeting its attitude toward
| the treatment of all neutral shipping
as well as passenger carrying vessels.
Count von Bernstorff, in his letter.
referred to liners, and in German
ynarters that was construed as meth
ing all non-combatant passenger
ships.
At the state department the Ger
man ambassadors letter was consid-
| cred as covering all the American
| government has contended for---that
peaceful merchantmen mnsct not be
sunk without warning or without
| visit and search and opportunity for
| ha ants fn pSc9np
The immediate effect of Wednes-
days developments is to open the
| way for a resumption of negotiations
with Berlin, the United States and
| Germany for an agreement upon the
rights of neutral shipping. The state
department had decided to have no
! further exchange of notes with the
German government as officials con-
cluded that the apparent disregard of
American representations as shown
by the sinking of the Arabic demand
ed a severance of diplomatic rela-
tions unless some satisfactory eXpla-
nations were volunteered by the Ger
man government It is understood
that the next step will be to clear up
any possible misunderstanding as to
the extent of the concessions.
Ambassador Bernstorff has gen.
eral and longer communication from
the foreign office dealing with the
case of the Lusitania, which is ex-
pected to clear up any doub tas to
the extent of the German conces-
sions. In German quarters it is in
sisted they will be satisfactory.
Chief Justice White, who was
among Secretary Lansing's callers,
declared the outcome was the great
est diplomatic achievement of the
United States in a generation.