The Climax-Madisonian. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1914-1917, 1915-06-16
Riahts of Humanity.

Rights OF Humanity
The government of the United States
is contending for something much great
er than mere rights of property or priv
ileges OF commerce. 1t is contending for
nothing less high and sacred than the
rights of humanity, which every govern
ment honors itself in respecting and
which no government Is justified in re-
signing on behalf Of those under its care
and authority. Only her actual resistance
to capture or refusal to stop when or
dered 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. This princi-
pie the government of the United States
understands the cxplici: instructions is
sued on Aug 3. 1914, by the imperial
German admiralty to its commanders at
sea to have recognized and embodied, as
do the naval codes of all other nations.
and upon it every traveller and seaman
has right to depend. 1t is upon this
principle of humanity. well as upon the
law founded upon this principle that the
United States must stand.
The government of the United States is
happy to observe that your excellency' 3
note closes with the intimation that the
imperial German government is willing,
now as before to accept the good offices
of the United States in attempt to
: come to an understanding witli the gov
ernment of Great Britain by which the
character and conditions of the war upon
the seas may be changed. The govern
ment of the United States would consider
it a privilege thus to serve its friends
and the world. 1t stands ready at any
time to convey to either government any
intimations or suggestions the other may
be willing to have IL convey and cordially
invites the imperial German government
to make use of its services I'm this way
and at its convenience. The whole world
IS concerned in anything that may bring
about even a partial accommodation of
inteests or in any way mitigate the ter
rors of the present distressing conflict
In the meantime whatever arrange
ment may happily be made between the
parties to the war and whatever may in
the opinion of the imperial German gov
ernment have been the provocation or
the circumstantial justification for the
past acts of its commanders at sea, the
government Of the United States conf-
IDENTIFY looks to see the justice and hui
manity of the government of Germany
vindicated in all cases where Americans
have been wronged or their rights as
neutrals invaded.
Representations Renewed.
The government of the United States
therefore very earnestly and very sol
emnly renews the representations of its
note transmitted to the imperial German
government the 18th day of May and
relies in these representations on the
principles of humanity the universally
recognized understanding of international
law and the ancient friendship of the
German nation.
The government Of the United States
can not admit that the proclamation OF
a war zone from which neutral ships
have been warned to keep away may be
made to operate in any degree as an alb
breviation of the rights either of Ameri-
can shipmasters or of American citizens
bound ON lawful errands- as passengers on
merchant ships of belliserent nationality.
1t does not understand the imperial Ger
man government to question those rights
1t understands ii, also. to accept as es-
tablished beyond question the prin-
ciple that the lives of noncombatants
can not lawfully nor rightfully be put in
jeopardy by the capture or destruction
of a non-resisting merchantman. and tc
recognize the obligation to take sufficient
precaution to ascertain whether a sus-
| pected merchantmen is in fact of bellig-
erert nationality or is in fact carrying
contraband of war under neutral flag
| The government If the United States
therefore deems IT reasonable to expect
that the imperial German government
| will adopt the measures Necessary to put
these principles into practice in respec
to the safeguarding of American live,
and American ships, ana asks for assur.
ances that this will be done.
ROBERT LANSING,
Secretary of State ad interim.