El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-12-16
AUSTRIAN REPLY
.DISPLEASESU.S s.
Suggestion of Further Dis
cussion is Disappointing;
Won't be Needed.
Continued From Page One.l

ernments. It can happen that a com
mander in heat Of battle, deals con-
trary to instructions, but nothing Of the
kind has occurred in this case
Submarine In Danger.
TT appears clearly from his report
that his ship was in danger, indeed
in double danger, from the fact that
line that threatened 10 cut off his re-
treat and the enemy ship and the An
coma could have set a torpedo boat
flotilla on him, and second. there was
danger of the Ancona escaping which,
according to his instructions was TO
be prevented in all circumstances
Hence the conduct Of the commander,
much as the loss Of innocent lives
proved.
ION the contrary. if he had departed
without destroying the Ancona, II
would have been failure to do his duty;
since the AncOna could have nou1led
other ships of his whereabouts the
loss OF American lives is regretted ~
well as that Americans used a vessel
belonging to a nation at war with
Austria Hungary"
Austria Treasures Navy.
naval writer and expert said to
the Associated Press correspondent IN
a discussion of the demands Of the
American note
tria's fleet is her favorite child It's
honor and prestige are treasured 10
the highest degree The government
might possibly yield points IN the MAJ
ter affecting the army, but dlsaNoWal
of an act of an Austrian naval ofticer
is hardly thinkable in any put aDnor-
NAL circumstances 1 am certain that
il would have to be a very extreme
case indeed, which could justify in the
eyes of all Austrians. any Illumination
OF a naval officer at the behest OF a
foreign power.
one of the leading men in Vienna
has summed up the situation for the
Associated Press as follows:
NY position requires me to keep IN
close touch with public sentlnlent aile an.
there is no doubt what that sentimenl
is Whether the United States breaks
off relations with Austria-Hungary
rests entirely with her
Cannot Tnjure Us Much
America could not injure US much
more as an open enemy than she mas
already done She has supplied NUM-
tions of war to our enemies ana pc
which would have been over long since
Our diplomatic and consular oIIcers
there have been shamelessly married.
ana prosecuted and have neen srossiS
insulted by the press The entente
has recruited soldiers on American
soil: submarines are constructed N
American shipyards. Il IS true tnat
only parts are made and that they are
then sent into Canada for assemblaSe-
but the result is the same sreat
of Americans are fighting
with the French and British armies
Note Is An Insult.
Now we have received a note
couched in terms. never before ad-
dressed by one nation TO another,
note cOuched in terms OF open lnsuls-
America considers US by IormeI
warning delivered TO Germany regard
ing submarine warfare That note was
not communicated to us and cannot be
considered binding on US Austrla-
is not an appendlS OF eel
many but sovereign state
Crisis Is Apparent.
Officials pointed out today tnat
thoroughly unsatisfactory and unrSs
sDonsfve reply from Austria WOuld
bring Diplomatic relations between the
two countries to q crisis because OF NJ
closing words OF secretary LanslnS
note. which declared that good relA-
tiOns between the two countries rest
upon A common regard for law and hu-
manity. and that Austria. approaching
the gravity Of the case, viii accede 70
its (the United states) demand
Note Was Most vigorous.
Specifically the note demanded De
nouncing the sinking OF the Ancona as
an illegal and indefensible act, pun
ishment of the commander who perpe-
trated the deed and payment OF an m
demnity 10 those Americans who SUI
fered- The note stands as the most
vigorous Of all the American cores
DOndence Of the war and was not
eQualed even by the note at the close
Of the submarine controversy with Ger
many.
Charge Calls on Lansing.
Austria's diplomatic relations with /
the United States since the recall OF F,
ambassador Dumba for his connection /
with plots TO cripple American muni-
ton plants have been maintained by J
the embassy here with baron Zweidinek /
as charge d'affaires-
Baron ZWeidinek had no official dis
from Vienna. but after reading
the news dispatches. he went to the 2
state department and conferred infor- /
maIly with secretary Lansing
Soon after noon che state department |
began to receive rather a long dispatch
from amba ssador Penfield- Officials I
said Il was not the Austrian reply TO
he Ancona note, but was a personal
report of an unofficial nature