Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1915-06-08
NOTE LEAVES
NO DOUBT OF
i. S. ATTITUDE
Will Be Forceful Reiteration Of
President Wilson's First
Demands.
READY TO BE SENT TONIGHT
Only Reason for Delay Will Be To
Make Sure It Is "Air
Tight"
READY TO BE SENT TONIGHT

Washington, u. u. June I.-fIeS'
ident Wilson's note to Germany will
be cabled to Ambassador Gerard
tonight or early tomorrow, accord
ing to word from the White house
last night.
The only reason for the delay, il
was said, was the presidents desire
to make the phraseology of the note
so explicit and unmstakable as tC
leave no room for doubt or further
argument concerning the position OF
the United States government that
the right of visit and search must be
exercised and passengers and crew
of unarmed ships on which neutrals
are voyaging transferred to a place
of safety before any prize is Destroy
ed by belligerent warship.
Officials familiar with the con-
tents of the note said it was a force
full reiteration of the principles ex-
pressed by the United States in its
note of Feb. 10, when the American
government announced that it could
not admit the right of the German
admiralty's proclamation of a war
zone to infringe in any way upon
the right of neutrals to travel any,
where on the high seas in peaceful
merchantmen and that the German
government would be held to a
"strict accountability for any vio-
lations of American rights.
Suggestions have been made to
the president that the recent note
from Germany offering regrets and
PREPARATION for the torpedoing by
mistake of the Gulfight, be cited in
the new note as proof of the Ameri-
can contention that without visit
and search the identity of vessel
cannot be established and the lives
of neutrals safeguarded.
The commander of the German
submarine which attacked the Gulf
light reported that he did not see
the American flag until "the moment
of firing the shot" Whether this
idea will be included is not known.
There may be some further dis
cussion of the document with legal
officers of the government today, but
it is expected to be put in cipher
and sent on it's way to Berlin to-
night.
President Wilson went to church
yesterday morning, took short au-
tomobile ride in the afternoon and
spent the evening in his study, still
at work on the note.
Secretaries McAdoo and Houston
called during the evening.
In German quarters the optimistic
view which has been apparent since
Count Won Bernstorff, the German
ambassador talked with President
Wilson, continued yesterday, the i'm
preston being given that the road
to an understanding was much clear
er than it had been since the Lusi-
itania was destroyed.
The belief constantly is expressed
in German quarters that the crisis
over the Lusitania case has passed.
1t frequently is pointed out, too,
that the present correspondence ov-
er neutral rights may lead to dis
cussion of the general subject of the
freedom of the seas and some Ger
man officials have Suggested that out
of the exchanges of notes with Ger
many, followed by further CORES
pondence with Great Britain on neu-
trail rights, the way may be open
ed even to the making of peace. |
Attention for the present in Of
fetal quarters is fixed upon a settle
ment of the difficulties that have
arisen between Germany and the
United States, and talk of making
peace in Europe is heard much less
now than months ago.