The weekly soliphone., 1915-05-14

the risk considered that premium Of one and onequar
ter per cent demanded by the insurance companies
The of the Lusitana-Worth millions themselves
were not willing to risk their financial interests with
out Insurance. yet they perfectly willing, for a
price, to accept passengers and guarantee them passage
from New York to Queenstown directly through the war
zone as outlined by Germany They hoped, according
their own admissions evade submarines by reason
of the additional speed possessed by the Lusana They
lost the bet and they crying out in ptabe terms
complaining Of the lack of respect shown for American
lives.
Those Americans who Of their free will chose
to take the chances realized that the risk great They
knew, however that submarine could make only about
half the speed possible for the Lustanla to develop they
knew, also, that it exceedingly difficult for subma
rine to get within range of fastseaming vessel There
FORE they hoped Germany would be unable to do what
she said would be DONE They underestimate both the
ability and the brutality of Germany. Perhaps Hubbard
lis waiting at st. Helena for Kaiser Bill Let hope
for the convenience of Ebert that the wait will not be
long.
Not at all surprising is the complaint being made
by officials of the Cunard Lines that Americans have
been murdered Yet surprising indeed is this complaint
when taken in connection with the fact that at the time
the Lusitania torpedoed she carrying than
two hundred thousand dollars worth of cartridges and
other ammuntions consigned to the British government
|by American manufacturers. These ammunitions
to be turned over to English military officers for dsbu
ton among their They to be used for shoot
ing the lights out Of German soldiers who perhaps have
no love for than some of us Americans who
protesting the loudest Certain it is that in accept
aires the Lustana placed herself outside the realm of
THAT protection which under ordinary circumstances
would have been expected for her.
And now, to claim or intimate that the United
States should cast her lot with the allies because Of this
outrage is ridiculous.
After all, the institution of is nothing more nor
less than egalized and commercalized murder and
bloodshed Quite typical of this horror is the story told
of how single attempted to prevent the
summation of order given by Gen. Wheeler during
retreat of the Confederates from Shelbyve to Muir
freesboro during the civil Civil war; Wheeers men were
hard pressed. They fighting rearguard action,
were being outnumbered and outcassed, and try
ing to escape with their lives When Murfreesboro
reached Gen: Wheeler gave orders that be
sweep the road and at least temporarily check the ap
proach of the Yankees Just as the order to fire was
about to be given, lone stepped in front of the
gun and refused to She insisted her husband was
among the attackers and that his life was threatened
For just instance Gen. Wheeler waited then gave the
order to fire The killed. but the attack was
delayed 1t might be argued this murder; that it
could have been prevented had couple of picked
the woman up bodily and removed her. But time was
worth millions with Gen. Wheeler and the life of one
woman was slight in comparison with the peril sur
rounding his army From the German standpoint it
might be argued that the lives of 1900 passengers were
slight compared to the danger of Germany as result
OF receipt by England of two hundred thousand dollars
worth OF ammunition to be used in exterminating Ger
mans. And is hell little hell of this nature an
piled to us in delicate place causes the blood to boil
with resentment but hell is hell and is war all the
same and great many unexpected things happen dur
ing the progress of this international game The United
States has repeatedly warned Americans to get away
from Mexico because guarantee Of their safety could
be given. Germany has repeatedly warned all neutras
TO stay away from the because no guarantee
of safety could be made.
When the Lusitania went down the Americans were
travelling British vessel carrying ammunition for the
destruction of German interests and German lives They
were within the area prescribed by Germany as the war
zone they where they had been warned not to be.
For them the world has the most profound sympathy
For their families and others dependent upon them the