The Elk Mountain pilot., 1915-06-19

washington, June 1l.-FolloWlng Is
the full text OF President Wilson's Sec
ond note sent TO Germany:
The secretary of state ad interim TO
the American ambassador at Berlin:
Department OF state. Washington,
June .. 1915.
American Am ba ssador, Berlin: You
are instructed TO deliver textually the
following note TO the minister OF for
eign affairs;
In compliance with your excellencys
request. 1 did not fail to transmit 10
my government Immediately upon the
receipt of your note OF May Is In re-
ply to my note OF May 10, and your
supplementary note OF June L, setting
forth the conclusions SO far as reached
by the imperial German government
| concerning the attacks on the Amer
| lean steamers Gushing and Gulflight
l am now instructed by my govern
ment to communicate the following in
| reply:
Pr ,ciple in Gulfiioht Case.
The government of the United
States notes with qualification the full
| recognition by the imperial German
government. in discussing the cases oil
| the Gushing and the Gulflight, OF the
principle OF the freedom of all parts
OF the open sea to neutral ships ana
| the frank willingness of the imperial
government TO acknowledge and meet
| its liability where the fact OF attack
| upon neutral ships which have not
been guilty OF any hostile act by Ger
man aircrafts or vessels of war is sat
isfactorily established; and the gov
ernment of the United States will In
| due course lay before the imperial Ger
man government, as 1t requests, full
Information concerning the attack on
the steamer Gushing.
With regard to the sinking OF the
steamer Falaba by which an American
citizen lost his life. the government OF
the United States is surprised to find
the imperial German government con-
| tending that an effort on the part OF
the merchantmen to escape capture
and secure assistance alters the obli-
cation of the officer seeking to make
the capture in respect of the safety
of the lives OF those on board the
merchantmen. although the vessel has
ceased her attempt to escape when
torpedoed.
These are not new circumstances.
| They have been in the minds OF
statesmen and OF international jurists
throughout the naval warfare and the
| government of the United States does
not understand that they have ever
| been held to alter the principles Of hui
manity upon which it has insisted.
Nothing but actual, forcible resist
| ance or continued efforts to escape by
| flight when ordered to stop for the
purpose of visit on the part of the
merchantman has ever been held to
forfeit the lives of her passengers or
crew
| Thes government of the United
| States however, does not understand
that the imperial German government
is seeking in this case to relieve it's
self of liability, hut only intends to
set forth the circumstances which led
the commander of the submarine to
allow himself to be hurried into the
course which he took.
Your eXcellency's note, in discussing
the loss OF American lives resulting
from the sinking OF the steamship Lu-
sitania, adverts at some length to GER
tain information which the imperial
| German government has received with
regard to the character and outfit OF
that vessel. and your excellency ex'
presses the fear that this information
may not have been brought to the
attention of the government of the
| United States.
| 1t is stated in the note that the
| Lusitania was undoubtedly equipped
with masked guns, supplied with
| trained gunners and special ammuni-
| ton, Transporting troops from Canada
| carrying cargo not permitted under
| the laws of the United States to a yes
sci also carrying passengers, and serv-
ing, in virtual effect, as an auxiliary
| ~, nf prtfn in
| Information Held by America.
| Fortunately. these are matters con
| cerning which the government of the
| United States is In a position to give
| the imperia! German government Of
| ficial information.
| OF the facts alleged in your excel
| lency's note. If true, the government
| of the United States would have been
| bound to take official cogniZance in
performing its recognized duty as a
neutral power and in enforcing Its
national laws.
| 1t was its duty to see to it that the
Lusitania was no: armed for offens-
| i've action: that she was not serving
| as a transport: that she did not carry
a cargo prohibited by the statutes of
the United States and that, if in fact
| she was a naval vessel of Great Brit
ain she should not receive clearance
as merchantman: and it performed
| that duty and enforced its statutes
| with scrupulous vigilance through its
regularly constituted officials.
| Submission of Evidence Suggested.
| 1t is able, therefore, to assure the
imperial German government that 1t
has been misinformed. If the imperial
German government should deem it's
| aelf tn he in pOsseSsiOn OF convincing
evidence that the officials of the gov
| ernment OF the United States did not
| perform these duties with thorough
ness, the government Of the United
| States sincerely hopes that it will