The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1915-07-29
AMERICAS
LAST NOTE
Freedom of Seas to be Main
tanned at Any Cost, Declares
Washington
REPETITION OF PAST DEEDS TO
sE REGARDED Ao "DELIBER-
ATELY UNFRIENDLY TO
UNITED STATES.

SE hEGAhDED AZ "DEIlBEH-
ATELY UNFRIENDLY TO
UNITED STATES.
4 FIRMER NOTE TO BERLIN
Compromise Not to Be Considered,
Lansing Says-German Defense as
Retaliation ls Admission Acts Are
lllegal-Great 3rltaln's Behavior
Irrelevant In Submarine Affair, Doc
ument Explains.
Western Newspaper Union News Service
Washington.-The United States
will regard as deliberately unfriendly'
a repetition of attacks by German sub
marine commanders involving Amer.
lean lives or property; this govern.
ment will contend for the freedom OF
the seas from whatever quarter vic.
lated, without compromise and at any
COST" the communication of July 8
from Germany to this government on
the submarine issue was very unsat.
isfactory," and instead of meeting the
issue squarely suggests a suspension
of the principles which the United
States is upholding in a manner
which virtually sets them aside"-
these are trenchant phrases from the
presidents last note to Germany.
Following is the official text of the
latest American note to Germany re.
garding submarine warfare, which
was delivered to the Foreign Office at
Berlin by Ambassador Gerard:
The Secretary Of Sta:e to Ambassador
Gerard:
Department of State,
Washington, July 21, 1915.
You are instructed to deliver textu.
ally the following note to the Minister
for Foreign Affairs:
The note of the Imperial Ger
man government, dated the 9Th
OF July, 1915, has received the
careful consideration of the Gov
ernment of the United States
and it regrets to be obliged to say that
1t has found it very unsatisfactory, be-
cause it fails to meet the real differ.
ences between the two Govern
ments and indicates no way in
which the accepted principles Of law
and humanity may be applied in the
grave matter in controversy, but pro
poses, on the contrary, arrangements
for partial suspension of those prin
ciples which virtually set them aside
The Government of the United
States notes with satisfaction that the
Imperial German Government rec
ognizes without reservation the
validity of the principles insist
ed on in the several commune
cations which this Government
had addressed to the Imperial
German Government with regard to
it's announcement of war zone and
the use of submarines against mer.
chantmen on the high seas-the prin.
ciple that the high seas are free; that
the character and cargo of a mer-
chairman must first be ascertained
before she can lawfully be seized or
destroyed, and that the lives of non.
combatants may in no case be put in
jeopardy unless the vessel resists or
seeks to escape after being summoned
to submit to examination; for a bel
ligerent act of retaliation is per Sc an
act beyond the law, and the defense
of an act as retaliation is an admis-
sion that it is illegal.
The Government of the United
States is, however, keenly disappoint-
ed to find that the Imperial German
Government regards itself as in large
degree exempt from the obligation to
observe these principles, even where
neutral vessels are concerned, by what
it believes the policy and practice of the
Government of Great Britain to be in
the present war with regard to neutral
commerce. The Imperial German
Government will readily understand
that the Government of the United
States can not discuss the policy of
the Government of Great Britain with
regard to neutral trade except with
that Government itself, and that it
must regard the conduct of other bel
ngerent Governments as irrelevant to
any discussion with the Imperial Ger
man Government of what this Govern
ment regards as grave and unjustifi-
able violations of the rights of Amer
ican citizens by German naval com
manders. Illegal and inhuman acts,
however justifiable they may be
thought to be against an enemy who
is believed to have acted in contraven-
tion of law and humanity, are mani
festly indefensible when they deprive
neutrals of their acknowledged rights,
particularly when they violate the
right to life itself. II a belligerent
can not retaliate against an enemy
without injuring the lives of neutrals
as well as their property, humanity
as we'll as justice and a due regard
for the dignity of neutral powers
should dictate that the practice be dis
continued. If persisted in it would in
such circumstances constitute an un.
pardonable offense against the sover-
eighty of the neutral nation affected.
The Government of the United States
is not unmindful of the extraordinary
conditions created by this war, or OF
the radical alterations of circum-
stance and method of attack produced
PRISONERS WATCH THE CIRCUS.