The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1915-06-18
United States Latest
Note to the German
Government

Berlin: You are instructed to deliver
textually the following note to the
minister of foreign affairs:
In compliance with your excel
lency's request, l did not fail to trans
nit to my government, Immediately
upon their receipt, your note of May
%, in reply to my note of May Is, and
your supplementary note Of June l,
setting forth the conclusions so far as
reached by the imperial German gov
eminent concerning the attacks on the
American steamers Cushing and Gun
flight. l am now instructed by my
government to communicate the fol-
lowing in reply:
" The government of the United
States notes with qualification the
full recognition by the imperial Ger
man government, in discussing the
cases of the Cushing and Gulfight, of
the principle of the freedom of all
parts of the open sea to neutral ships
and the frank willingness Of the i'm
perial German government to ac-
knowledge and meet its liability where
the fact of attack upon neutral ships
which have not been guilty Of any
hostile act by German aircraft or
vessels of war is satisfactorily es-
tablished; and the government Of the
United States will in due course lay
before the imperial German govern
ment, as it requests, full informa-
ton concerning the attack On the
steamer Cushing.
The Falaba Case Different.
with regard to the sinking Of the
steamer Falaba, by which an Ameri-
can citizen lost his life, the govern
ment of the United States is surprised
to find the imperial German govern
ment %contending that an effort On the
part of a merchantmen to escape cap
ture and secure assistance alters the
obligation of the officer seeking to
make the capture in respect Of the
safety of the lives of those on board
the merchantmen, although the vessel
has ceased her attempt to escape when
torpedoed. These are not new circum-
stances. They have been in the minds
of statesmen and of international
jurists throughout the development Of
naval warfare, and the government Of
the United States does not under
stand that they have ever been held to
alter the principles of humanity upon
which it has insisted. Nothing but
actual forcible resistance or on
tinued efforts to escape by fight
when ordered to stop for the purpose
of visit on the part of the merchant
man has even been held to forfeit the
lives of her passengers or crew. The
government Of the United States,
however, does not understand that
the imperial German government is
seeking in this case to relieve itself of
liability, but only intends to set forth
the, circumstances which led the COM
mander of the submarine to allow
himself to be hurried into the course
which he took.
Replies as to the Lusitania.
Your excellency's note, in discus
sing the loss of American lives
resulting from the sinking of the
steamship Lusitania, adverts at some
length to certain information which
the imperial German government has
received with regard to the character
and outfit of that vessel, and your x
cellency expresses the fear that this
information may not have been
brought to the attention of the gov
eminent of the United States. 1t is
-. stated in the note that the L~usitania
was undoubtedly equipped with mask
ed guns, supplied with trained gun
utIb anu SpSSldA dAuAAullbAVhJ NAoAo
porting troops from Canada, carry
ing a cargo not permitted under the
laws of the United States to a vessel
also carrying passengers, and serving,
in virtual effect, as an auxiliary to the
naval forces of Great Britain.
u. S. Has Official Information.
Fortunately these are matters
concerning which the government of
the United States is in a position to
give the imperial German govern
ment official information. Of the
facts alleged in your excellency's note,
if true, the government Of the United
States would have been bound to take
official c~ognizance in performing its
recognized duty as a neutral power
and in enforcing its national laws. 1t
was its duty to see to it that the
Lusitania was not armed for offensive
action, that she wal not serving as d
transport, and that she did not carry
a cargo prohibited by the statutes OF
the United States and that if in fact
she was a naval vessel of Great Brit