The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1915-12-31
CLOUD IS
GROWING 0M|NOUS
Evidence Multiplies That Aus
trials Reply Will Not Meet
This Country's Demands.
CONTINUE SINKING SHIPS,
Austria May Hope to Gain Time by
Further Parleying, But Lam
sing Means Business.


formed with intimations from abroad
that Austria's forthcoming reply to
the Ancona note will fail to meet the |
demands of the United States, ard
Teutonic diplomatic circles here were
authoritatively represented as being
prepared for break in diplomatic
circles between the two countries.
Various developments, it was
agreed, might avoid such an eventu-
ality, but none of the counter pro-
posals which it has been intimated
the Vienna foreign Office might ad-
vance have been regarded, so far as
coming within Secretary Lansing's
renewal of the demands for dis
avowal, reparation and punishment
OF the submarine commander who
sunk the Ancona with the loss of
more than a dozen American lives.
ASPECTS OF CRISIS.
Now that the situation after being
! dormant nearly two weeks, is again
beginning to take on the aspects CT
crisis, the status OF the negotiations
of the United States over submarine
warfare against merchantmen, not
with Austria alone, but with the
Teutonic powers as allies, is COM
manding attention.
Although Germany has given the
United States assurances that she
will conform to the principle of visit
and search before attack, the prac-
tices against which the Uniteds
States so vigorously contended ars;
being carried on now by her ally. 4
Austria, and it has been charged
that the Austrian submarines are, in
some instances furnished by Ger
many and in others are officered and
manned by the German navy. Such
situation, it is being pointed out,
amounts to practically defeat OF
the submarine negotiations with Ger
many
Furthermore, the impasse in the
Lusitania negotiations becomes a fac
tor in the situation.
CANNOT MAKE DISTINCTIONS.
united
States scarcely can require Austria to
conduct marine warefare in its re-
lations to the t:."ht of eieutrals in q
manner different from that permit
ted to Germany
Germany has admitted her obliga-
tion not to sink liners without giving
warning and making provision for
the safety of passengers and crew.
providing there was no resistance.
So far no agreement has been reach
ed as to the exact meaning of the
word liners" The Germans hold it
| applicable to vessels carrying passen-
gers alone and plying between certain
ports on regular schedules. The
state department view has been that
the term includes any merchant ship
belonging to regular steamship
line, but no issue has been made OF
the different interpretations, because
Germany has undertaken to use such
precautions as may be consistent with
use Of the submarine, to warn
merchantmen and to insure the safe
ty of the passengers and crew, pro-
vided these are not part of the
military establishment of the enemy.
| DEMAND ON AUSTRIA BROAD.
The demand of the United States
upon Austria in connection with The
Ancona case is broader than any Ger
man admission, being based upon the
| contention that international law,
The Hague conventions and the Dec
laration of London all require warn
ing before sinking vessel, even
when the vessel is OF belligerent
ownership and where she does not
4 comply with the German ideas of the
| term liner. The Austrian govern
| ment has not admitted any such obli-
! cations and recent events in the Med
iterranean indicate that her subma-
rine commanders are sinking mcr-
chantmen without warning and with
out inquiry as to whether they carry
neutral passengers. So far no ex-
! planation beyond that of military ne
cessity has been offered for this vio-
lation of what the state department
/ regards as the elementary principles
OF international law and OF bumane
warfare
Unless the expected note from that
s---