The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-05-09

German submarine had right to at tack the Lusitania because she was an auxiliary or converted cruiser. The of ficials of the Cunard line are under stood to have stated that the Lusitania was not conveyed.
 These facts in the opinion of law of- ficers of the American government left the German submarine no excuse under law or reason for an attack without warning on ship with hundreds of noncombatants aboard, including neu- tral men, women and children. The /, position of the United States has been | that the presence of contra band-even
 arms and ammunition-accordi to the | rules of international law, including the
 Declaration of London, which Germany | has upheld, cannot warrant the sinking
 of merchantmen without the previous
 exercise of the right of visit and search and the removal of noncombat tants to a place of safety.
 l The government stated this in it's la st
 note to Germany, and at the same time
 issued warning that the imperial Ger
 man government would be held Ito a
 strict accountability" by the United
 or lives.
 1 The decision which the President and
 his advisers must reach, 1t was admitted ! in all quarters is a momentous one. | Those officials conversant with the legal
 aspects of the case pointed out that the l United States faced a grave and serious problem of lasting importance in history, as all the world-neutrals and belligerents aike--would wait with acute expectancy l for the course which the United States would pursue to preserve the russs of n- ternational law particularly the rights of neutrals with respect to the safety of non combatants on merchant ships at sea. Warning Not Official l The suggestion that the warnings by the German embassy in newspaper advertise nents should have been sufficient to deter Americans from travelling aboard ships flying the British flag was widely com mented upon among diplomatists. At the state department Secretary Bryan re- vealed that the embassys warning had never been officially communicated to the state department and that since the an nouncement by the German admiralty i1 | February of it's proclamation of a wal zone, the American protest and the reply | from Germany saying the government
 would disclaim responsibility for acci dents to neutrals, the subject for several weeks had not been officially mentioned between the Berlin and Washington gov
 ernments.
 | Among few diplomatists there was g disposition to criticize Americans for min imizing these warnings, but some officials
 pointed out that 1t was never conceived
 that the German submarine campaign
 would be extended to passenger liners which usually carried scores of neutrals
 without specific warning that such yes sel would be attacked.
 ] With respect to the reports that tho state department had discouraged tht
 travel of Americans to Europe, Secretary | Bryan said
 | "We have discouraged ever since the
 beginning of the war the going abroad of any naturalized Americans and nave declined to give passports to Americans who wanted to go abroad for pleasure but have given them to those going or business"
 The appalling nature of the disaster bringing home to those who had frlends on board the Lusitania the human side | of the occurrence, was apparent Tn th' demeanor of high officials. They were grieved-siclx at heart. They made nc | formal expression of their feeling, pre- ferring to maintain silence until thu 1 American government is ready to speak on the human as well as the legal as poets of the case.
 Seeking Information
 The consular and diplomatic ma
 chinery of the government in the mean time sought information from every
 available source concerning survivors
 and lent aid to the injured or destitute In diplomatic quarters in Washing
 ton the incident continued the greates lsensation of the war. Ambassadors ant
 ministers were intensely interested II what the policy of the American gov ernment would be.
 | Count Won Bernstorn, the German
 ambassador, was still away and nc
 comment was made at the German em
 bassy, but among German officials ans
 diplomatists friendly to the Germani'
 allies, there was retraced the argumen which Germany has insisted upon as he
 Justification for subma rine warfare o'
 merchant ships. It was reiterated tha
 Great Britain by preventing foodstun'