Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-07-10
REPORT OF POSSIBLE SUBMARINE
INVASION STARTS sPEcU.
NATION.
WOULD NOT SURPRISE
MILITARY AND NAVAL MEN
Radius Of Operations Of underssa
Craft Constantly Widening.-Misht
30 Considered Violation Of Monroe
Doctrne.-RecalIs French Invasion
Of Mexico During Civil War.
Ispecial correspondence.l

Washington, July 10.-What would
happen if the Germans carried ont
their alleged plan to establish base
for submarine operations off the Cana
dian coast was a subject of lively dis
cussion among some of the government
officials and al the armchair strate-
sists today.
, The government has no information
of such plan and Is not exciting
itself over IT. However. officials
talked more or less about the PROPOSE
ton as a matter which up to this time
is chiefly of academic interest.
Secretary Daniels said he knew
nothing of the plan. Secretary Lans-
ing had no knowledge of it and would
not forecast what the government
would do if such a base were estab-
lished He would uot indicate whether
he thought it would infringe on the
Monroe doctrine.
Plan Not Incredible.
Experts say that the radius of oper-
alton of the German submarines is in
creasing on this score. 1t is not in
credible something Of the sort might
be attempted-establishm of a base
off the Canadian coast or possibly off
the American coast, when submarines
could attack ships supposed to be car
rying contraband.
The proposed establishment Of a
submarine base off Canada is not
parallel to the situations which arose
earlier in the war wherein the belliger-
ent navies were charged with viola
tons Of neutrality off the coast of
Chile and Ecuador The United States
made no protest in those cases. But
the Latin American countries con-
cerned were not parties to the war. In
the case of Canada it is a part of one
of the nations engaged in the war, and
this would be a legal factor in the
case which would have to be given
careful consideration. Undoubtedly
there Is plenty of good legal opinion to
the effect this government should not
interfere on the basis Of the Monroe
doctrine because of any German oper-
ations against Canad a and plenty on
the opposite side.
A high official pointed out that he
knew OF no case which seemed to
parallel the proposed effort of the
ritory whence to conduct operations
,
German invasion Of Canada, which
was current earlier IN the war-ex-
cept the French invasion Of Mexico at
the time of the civil war.
you might study what we did In
that case" he observed.
French Failed to Linger.
In that case, as soon as The United
States was safely emerged from civil
war, General Sheridan was sent toward
the Mexican border with a picked
force which would doubtless have made
short work of the French troops had
they fingered. But they did not.
This suggests the question whether
the United States would sit idly by il
Germany should attempt to establish
submarine base off Canada. 1t is a
nile question and the government here
!s ret aaxions to have 1t arise. 1t Is
likely however, that If this govern
ment thought the Monroe doctrine was
being infracted. it would act vigor-
ously. That no use of an island off our
coast as a submarine base would be al
lowed is obvious.