The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1915-06-17

throughout the development of naval
warfare, and the government of the
United States does not understand
that they have ever been held to alter
the principles of humanity upon which
it has insisted. Nothing but actual
forcible resistance or continued efforts
to escape by flight when ordered to
stop for the purpose of visit on the
part of the merchantmen has ever
been held to forfeit the lives of her
passengers or crew. The government
of the United States, however, does
not understand that the imperial Ger
man government is seeking in this
case to relieve itself of liability, but
only intends to set forth the circum-
stances which led the commander of
the submarine to allow himself to be
hurried into the course which he took.
Gives Official Information.
"Your excellency's note, in discuss
ing the loss of American lives re-
sulting from the sinking of the steam
ship Lusitania, adverts at some length
to certain information which the I'M
perial German government has receiv-
ed with regard to the character and
outfit of that vessel, and your excel
lency expresses the fear that this in
formation may not have been brought
to the attention of the government of
the United States. 1t is stated in the
note that the Lusitania was undoubt-
eddy equipped with masked guns sup
piled with trained gunners and spec
ial ammunition, transporting troops
from Canada, carrying cargo not
permitted under the laws of the Unit
ed States to vessel also carrying
passengers, and serving, in virtual eff
feet, as an auxiliary to the naval force
of Great Britain. Fortunately these
are matters concerning which the gov
eminent of the United States is in a
position to give the Imperial German
government official information.
Lusitania Declared Unarmed.
"Of the facts alleged in your excel
lency's note, if true, the government
of the United States would have been
bound to take official cognizance in
performing it's recognized duty as a
neutral power and in enforcing its ma
tional laws. 1t was its duty to see
to it that the Lusitania was not armed
for offensive action, that she was not
serving as transport, 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 Britain, she should not receive
clearance as a merchantmen;
and it performed that duty and en-
forced it's statutes with scrupulous
vigilance through its regularly consti-
tuted officials. 1t is able, therefore,
to assure the imperial German gov
eminent that it has been misinformed.
If the imperial German government
should deem itself to be in possession
of convincing evidence that the Off
Gals of the United States did not per-
form these duties with thoroughness
the government of the United States
sincerely hopes that it will submit
that evidence for consideration.
German Contentious Irrelevant
whatever may be the contentious
of the Imperial German government
regarding the carriage of contraband
of war on board the Lusitania or re-
garding the explosion of that mater
ial by the torpedo, it need only be said
that in the view of this government
these conditions are irrelevant to
the question of legality Of the meth
DDS used by the German naval author
tiles in sinking the vessel.
"But the sinking of the passenger
ships involves principles of humanity
which throw into the background any
special circumstances of detail that
may be thought to affect the cases,
principles which lift it, as the Impe-
rial German government will no doubt
be quick to recognize and acknowl-
edge, out of the class of ordinary SUBJ
jects of diplomatic discussion or of in
ternational controversy. Whatever be
the other facts regarding the Lusi-
tania, the principal fact is that a
great steamer, primarily and chiefly
a conveyance for passengers and car
rying more than thousand souls who
had no part or lot in the conduct of
the war, was torpedoed and sunk with
out so much as challenge or a warn
ing, and that men, women and child
rem were sent to their death in cir
cumstances unparalleled in modern
warfare.
With Solemn Emphasis.
"The fact that more than one hun
dred American citizens were among
those who persisted made it the duty
of the government of the United
States to speak of these things and
once more, with solemn emphasis, to
call the attention of the Imperial
German government to the grave re-
sponsibility which the government of
the United States conceives that it
has incurred in this tragic occurrence,
and to the indisputable principle upon
which that responsibility rests. The
government of the United States is
contending for something much great