The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1915-06-10
Lusitania Was Not Armed
Saws Collector nf Cnstnms.


n viee 81 the statement made 81
the German government that the Lus-
itanla vas a armed vessel the fol-
lowing report from Collector IF Gus
toms Martin n TIE port a New York
is particularly interesting At this
time
So guns were found. uounted
OF Gumcunted The Iusitania
sailed unsrmed. No merchant
ship would be- allowed e. leave
this hsrbor armed.
The other day when Ambassador
Bernsto6 called upon President vii
son be- bad the hardihood to present
alleged affidavits from German-Am-
ericans-who have since disappeared
from the addresses they gave in New
York and have eluded agents # the
department Of justice charging
that they had seen guns on the liner.
One Of them specified four cannon
of ~ or rs rentimeter caliber," COW
cred with leather and mounted on
wooden blocks" Another, with more
generous Imagination. swore 70 At
least two guns Of S-inch size; and
these weapons, which would be nearly
thirty feet long and weigh fifteen or
twenty tons EACH were concealed"
NJ is almost iucreditable that a civ
Hized government should seriously
offer as testimony such palpable in
ventions. Nevertheless, IL is to be eX-
perted that the fable Of the liners
bristliuR guns viii become firmly inn
bedded in German tradition, and will
be cited hy Teutonie historians Of the
war as Characteristic evidence Of
British duplieity and eowardice and
Of the heroism o. the submarines
crew.
After the massacre Of the worien
and children abord the Lust ania the
government Of Germany issued an
official statement iustifying the deed
on the ground that "the Lustiania
was naturally armed with guns"
Doubtless. Il was this astounding
protense-that the submarine which
slaughtered 1850 defenseless men and
women and children braved q broard-
side 70 do it--thst led the Cologne
NolkszeitFng to say. with joyful
pride we contemplate the latest deed
Of our navy" For its esteemed con
temporary, the Berlin Tagetlatt, an
nouneed with solemn ind gnation:
"The Lusitania carried an armament
~ twelve strongly mounted sums, she
was more strongly armed with guns
than any German armored cruiser.
Now that Collector Martin has
spoken officially the public can rest
assured, but possibly they already
had reached such a conclusion. that
the Lusitania was en- unarnled mer.
I chant vessel At the port IF Nev
York a neutrality squad" Of eight
picked men, has been on duty for the
past wear, charged with the duty 81
seeing that no vessel leaves the har.
Dor armed. From the time Of her ar
rival until her departure there was
not an hour, day, or night, when SONS
Of these agents were not on board
the Lusitania
+ One is shocked by the transparent
msndaritp which pictures suns o.
the decks Of the steamship wher,
children were at play when the muir
derous torpedo was sped; bat is G
any more wicked than the attemp
20 make Belgium responsible for he.
own invasion' The Lusitania. "norI
strongly armed with guns than an
/ German armored cruiser" s Fl
/ companion picture for Belgium 'vio
lating her oen neutrality"
( II is hardly worth while 10 speei
/ fy the ciamorous German charge tia
England forced the war England
which was SO piGably unready TIA
/ her forces only now. after ten month
Of sighting. are approaching = wa
footing Bst a highly characteristi
. example Of tie German state Of min
was the denunriafion of searbarour
as "a fortified city" because Their
was coast guard station among th
lighthouses on Tire beach when Ger
man cruisers bomharded the place
D. And stiH fresh in the public min
. is she excuse offered for pourin
. clouds of poisonous gases agains
Ian enemy. German officials charge
F that this atrocious device. In While
they have an absolute monopoly (
this time. was invented by the Frenc
and English. and that their own en-
|pIoyment Of IL was a iaztifable r.
praaI
The distinguishing aim of the Gel
I man intellect in scientific aTairs
minute eyartituda Of inquiry and 81
precision. The code Of mhtarisu