The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1915-12-24

MESSAGE DRAFTED BY PRESl-
DENT is COMPLETED AND
READY FOR VIENNA.
MUST DISAVOW SHIP ATTACK
Complete Text of the Austrian Reply
to Washington's First Note on the
Ancona Case Is Made Public by the
State Department.

Wilson completed the first draft of the
new note to Austria-Hungary reiterat-
ing the American demands regarding
the sinking of the Italian steamship
Ancona. The note was signed by Sec
rotary Lansing.
Text of Austrian Reply.
Austrias reply to the American note
on the sinking of the Italian liner An
coma. as made public on Saturday by
the state department, follows:
American Embassy, Vienna, Dec. 10, |
19i5.-Secretary of State, Washing
lister of foreign affairs at noon today |
In reply to the much esteemed note |
4167, which his excellency, |
Frederic CORTLAND Penfield, ambassa- |
dor extraordinary and plenipotentiary |
of the United States of America, di- |
rected to him in the name of the
American government under date OF
the 9th inst, IN the matter OF the
sinking of the Italian steamer Ancona,
the undersigned, preliminary to thor
ough, meritorious treatment of the de-
mand, has the honor to observe that
the sharpness with which the govern
ment of the United States considers it
necessary to blame the commanding
officer of the submarine concerned IN
the affair and the firmness in which
the demands addressed to the imperial
and royal government appear to be ex-
pressed might we'll have warranted the
expectation that the government OF
the United States should precisely
specify the actual circumstances OF
the affair upon which it bases its
case
Sees Room for Many Doubts.
LAS is not difficult to perceive, the
presentation of the facts in the case
in the aforesaid note leaves room for
many doubts, and even il this pres
entation were correct in all points and
the most rigorous legal conception
were applied to the judgment of the
case, it does not in any way sufficient
IL warrant attaching blame to the COM
handing officer Of the war vessel or
to the imperial and royal government
1.-THE government Of the United
| States has also failed to designate the
persons upon whose testimony it re-
lies and to whom it apparently be-
lieves it may attribute higher degree
of credibility than to the commander
of the imperial and royal fleet"
The imperial and royal govern
ment is in principle ready to enter
into an exchange of views in the at
fair with the government of the United
States.
TT must, however, in the first place,
raise the question why that govern
ment failed to give judicial reasons for
the demands set forth in it's note with
reference to the special circumstances
Of the discriminating events upon
which it itself lays stress, and why in
lieu thereof it referred to an exchange
of correspondence which it has con
Quoted with another government in
other cases.
Wishes Points of Law Set Out.
THE imperial and royal govern
ment is the less able to follow the
Washington cabinet on this unusua
path, since it by no means pOssesse:
authentic knowledge OF all of the
pertinent correspondence of the gov
eminent of the United States, nor i:
it of the opinion that such knowl
edge might be sufficient for it in thu
present case, which in so far as |
is informed is in essential points o
another nature than the case or case
to which the government of tn
United States seems to allude. Tn
imperial and royal government ma
therefore leave it to the Washington
cabinet to formulate the particula
points of la~ against which the con
handing Officer of the submarine
alleged to have offended on the OF
casion Of the sinking of the AncOna.
J. To Maintain Own Legal Views.
/. THE government of the Unite
u States has also seen fit to refer
the attitude which the Berlin cal
e met assumed in the above-mentione
|
5 ROYAL government finds in the mucl
esteemed note no indication whatevt
E. of the intent with which this refe
q ence was made. Should, hOweve
If the government of the United State
8 thereby have intended to express a
Is Onion to the effect that pre-
q udice of whatever nature existed fl
is the imperial and royal governmel
D. with respect to the judicial consi
n Grafton of the affair in question, tn
Is COVE rnment must, in order to pr
re clude possible MISUNDERSTANDING d
: clare that as a matter of course ii 7
10 serves to itself full freedom of mai
rs tanning its own legal views in the d
III cussion of the case of the Ancona
10 THE imperial and royal governme
most sincerely deplores the fate OF 4
irnocen. victims OF the incident
=. question. bohlAN.
na PENFIELD.