The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1915-05-21

the note from the United States to the
German imperial government trans
mitted yesterday to Ambassador Ger
ard at Berlin and TO be presented TO-
day to the German foreign office reads
as follows:
--Tnc secretary OF State to the Amert-
can Ambassador at Berlin.
department OF State, Washington,
May l3. 1915
please call on the minister Of for
eign affairs, and after reading TO him
this communication, leave with him
= copy:
In view OF recent acts of the Ger
man authorities in violation of Ameri-
can rights on the high seas, which
eliminated in the torpedoing and sink
ing Of the British steamship Lusitania
on May 7, 1915, by which over one
hundred American citizens lost their
lives, Il is clearly wise and desirable
that the government of the United
States and the imperial German gov
ernment should come to a clear un.
derstanding as TO the grave situation
which has resulted.
U. S. Amazed by Acts.
The sinking of the British passen-
ger steamship Falaba by a German
submarine on March 2S, through which
Leon c. Thrasher, an American citi-
zen. was drowned; the attack on April
2S on the America ! vessel Gushing by
a German aeroplane; the torpedoing
on May of the American vessel
Gultlight by a German submarine, as
the result Of which two or more Amer
ican citizans met their death; and
finally the torpedoing and sinking Of
the steamship Lusitania, constitute a
series c. events which the government
OF the limited States has observed with
growing concern, distress and amaze
ment
Recalling the humane and enlight-
ened attitude hitherto assumed by the
imperial German government in mat
ters of international right, and partic-
ularly with regard to the freedom of
the seas having learned to recognize
the German views and the German in
fuence in the field of international OBJ
legation as always engaged upon the
side Of Justice and humanity; and hav-
ing understood the instructions Of the
imperial German government to its
naval commanders to be upon the
same plane OF humane action pre-
scribed by the naval codes of other ma
tions. the government of the United
States was loathe to believe-it can
not now bring itself to believe-that
these acts, so absolutely contrary TO
the rules, the practices and the spirit
Of modern warfare, could have the
counteaanDa CT sanction Of that great
government.
Holds Germany Responsible.
at feels it to be its duty, therefore,
to address the imperial government
concerning them with the utmost frank
ness, and in the earnest hope that it
is not mistaken in expecting action
on the part of the imperial German
government which will correct the un-
fortunate impressions which have been
created and vindiCate once more the
position of that government with re-
gard to the sacred freedom of the
seas,
5 THE government of the United
States has been apprised that the i'm
perial German government considered
themselves to be obliged by the eX-
traordinary circumstance Of the pres
ent war and the measures adopted by
their adversaries in seeking to cut
Germany off from ali commerce, to
adopt methods Of retaliation which go
much beyond the ordinary methods OF
warfare at sea, in the proclamation of
q war zone, from which they have
warned neutral ships tO keep away.
This government has already taken oc-
CASTOR to inform the imperial govern
ment that it cannot admit the adop-
ton of such measures or such a warn
ing Of danger to operate as in any de-
gree on abbreviation of the rights of
American ship masters or Of American
citizens bound on lawful errands as
passengers on merchant ships of bel
ligerent nationalities; and that 1t must
hold the imperial German government
to a strict accountability for any in.
fringement of those rights, intention-
al or unintentional. 1t does not under
stand the imperial German govern
ment to question those rights. 1t as
sumes, on the contrary, that the i'm
perial German government accepts, as
Of course, tie rule that the lives OF
noncombatants, whether they be OF
neutral citizenship or citizens of one
of the nations at war, cannot lawfully
or rightfully be put in jeopardy by the
capture or destruction Of al unarmed
merchantmen, and recognize also, as
all other Dations do, the obligation tC
take the usual precaution of visit ant
search to ascertain whether sus
pected merchantman is in fact Of bel
Germans Lose Windhoek.