The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1915-05-21
PRESIDENT WILSON
Who is safely plotting this
nation through gravest crisis
in history.

in history.
-~~~~~~-~~-~-~
ligerent nationality OF is in fact car
rying contraband of war under a neu.
tral flag.
Seas Must Be Safe for Americans.
The government of the United
States, therefore, desires to call the at
tention Of the imperial German gov
ernment, with the utmost earnestness.
to the fact that the objection to their
present method of attack against the
trade OF their enemies lies in the prac-
teal impossibility of employing subma-
rines in the destruction of commerce
without disregarding those rules OF
fairness, reason, justice and humanity
which all modern opinion regards az
imperative. 1t is practically impos-
sibie for the officers Of q submarine to
visit a merchantmen at sea and ex-
anime her papers and cargo. 1t is
practically impossible for them to
make prize of her; and, if they can
not put prize crew on board Of ner'
they cannot sink her without leaving
her crew and all on board of her to the
mercy of the sea in her small boatA
These facts, it is understood, the im-
perial German government frankly adj
nit We are informed that il the in
stances of which we have spoken time
enough for even that poor measure OF
safety was not given, and in at least
two of the cases cited not so much as =
warning was received. Manltestly
submarines cannot be used against
merchantmen, as the last few weeks
have shown, without an inevitable vio-
lation of many sacred principles OF
justice and humanity.
American citizens act within their
indisputable rights in taking their
ships and in travelling wherever their
legitimate business calls them upon
the high seas, and exercise those
rights in what should be the well JUS
titled confidence that their lives will
not be endangered by acts done in
clear violation of universally acknowl-
edged international obligations, and
certainly in the confidence that their
own government will sustain them in
the exercise Of their rights.
Warning Is No Excuse.
There was recently published in the
newspapers OF the United States, re-
gret to inform the imperial German
government, a formal warning, pur-
porting to come from the imperial Ger
man embassy at Washington, ad-
dressed to the people of the United
States and stating i'll effect that any
citizen of the United States who 6X-
ercised his right to travel upon the
seas would do so at his peril if his
journey should take him within the
zone of waters within which the i'm
perial German navy was using subma-
rines against the commerce Of Great
Britain and France, Notwithstanding
the respectful but very earnest protest
of his government, the government OF
the United States. | do not refer to
this for the purpose of calling the at
tention of the imperial German gov
ernment at this time to the surprising
irregularity of communication from
the imperial German embassy at Wash
ington addressed to the people of the
United States through the newspapers,
but only for the purpose of pointing
out that no warning that an unlawful
and inhuman act will be committed
can possibly be accepted as an excuse
or palliation for that act or as an
abatement of the responsibility for its
commission.
viii Maintain Rights Of U. S.
Expressions of regret and offers of
reparation in case of the destruction
of neutral ships sunk by mistake,
.L;In +ho,r nov eotisPu aforementioned