The Washington times., 1915-06-11
THE NOTE TO GERMANY

The President in his note which is
being handed to the German govern
ment today does more than stand
by the position which he adopted
for this country in earlier communi-
cations, especially the first commu-
nication on the Lusitania affair.
Not only does he stand firmly by
his earlier attitude; with punctilious
correctness he declines to be led
aside from the essentials which he
then stated, into a rambling discus
sion of alleged facts and irrelevant
principles. He makes his position
stronger than ever by the emphasis
of reiteration. He indicates so
poirtedly that there can be no mis-
take, that he is not able to grant
patient consideration to mere par
ley. He wants Germany to talk
about the things he is talking about,
not abctt the things Germany would
prefer to talk about, and the things
its government did talk about in its
note of May %. He limits the range
of consideration very definitely and
clearly; and, thus sticking to his
text, he informs the German foreign
Office that after having opportunity
to consider its representations, and
to shift his ground if he deemed it
desirable, he has found no reason to
change his position in any way.
Berlin will understand the impli-
cations of this attitude. It will
know that satisfactory adjustment
OF the acute differences between the
two countries is to be achieved only
by direct attention to the proposals
laid down by the United States Gov
ernment. Analysed carefully, the
note will be found to narrow down
the conditions on which Germany
may continue submarine warfare
against merchant ships, and to bring
the scope of such operations with
in very sharp limitations. In this
regard the note deserves the most
careful scrutiny here, and will GER
tainly require it in Berlin. The Pres
ident declines to accept the German
declaration of war zone as limit
ing the rights of neutrals on the
high seas. 1t is absolutely neces.
sary, if submarine warfare shall
continue, that the right to main.
tain the war zone shall be upheld
What can be left of the war zone il
Germany accepts this declaration oi
America:
The Government OF the United State.
cannot admit that the proclamation OF
a war zone from which neutral ships
have been warned to keep away may
GREE AN ABBREVIATION of the
rights either of American shtpma sters
or Of American citizens bound on law,
p ,Sine erfaRds ran ana as passengsrs n % on merchant
This is the proposition which Ger,
many must consider with utmost
concern. To recognize this principle
is to surrender most of the efficacy
Of submarine warfare. At another
point, the President strengthens hi.
hostility to the whole war-zon.
policy Of Germany by defending tn,
right of a vessel to attempt escape
He says:
The Government of the United States
IS SURPRISED to find the inperia
German government contending that al
effort on the part Of a merchantmen I,
escape capture and secure assistance
alters the obligation of the officer seek
ing to make the capture in respect o
the safety Of the lives Of those on boar,
the merchantmen, although the vesse
has ceased her attempt to escape whel
torpedoed.
The American government, then
cannot permit the war-zone doctrine
and cannot agree that merchantmen
may be sunk, crew, passengers an,
all, If they try to escape. How rlucl
Of efficacy will be left to German
submarine warfare if these tw'
rules be accepted?
Again, in the eloquent paragraph
which states this Governments v;ey
Of the Lusitania sinking, the Presi
dent uses an adjective which will
have significance to Herr vo
Jagow. He refers to "the INDIS
PUTABLE principle" upon whic
rests the responsibility of the Amer
lean Government in behalf of thos
Americans who lost their lives o
the Lusitania. This principle, no,
declared at Washington 10 be "ir
disputable," has been disputed i
every case in which Germany ha
taken life of a neutral in subma
rine warfare; the very taking G
. the life is the most absolute negati,
ing of this principle. Yet Wash
ington declines to debate the prir
ciple; as regarded here, it is beyon
dispute.
The German foreign Offices e
forts to maintain statement {
facts, calculated to serve Berlin
purposes in argument, concernin
the character of the Lusitania,