Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1915-07-27
MAY Be FINAL NOTE
WILSON AND LANSING AGREE ON
FIRM ANSWER TO KAISER
LAW TO BE BASIS.
WILL REAFFIRM SEA RIGHTS
Berlin Must Not Use Situation as a
Club to Strike EneIand-Indispu
able Right of American Ships to
Sail Seas Main Contention.

Washington, July 21.-Germany will
be told substantially in the note now
being prepared at the state depart
ment and the White House that she
must not use the present situation as
a club to hit Great Britain or to force
the American government to settle
her controversies with the English
government.
This decision stands out pre-emi-
nently as the one new definite state
ment of the attitude on the part OF the
United States toward Germany. OFF,
Gals declare it will appear in the
forthcoming restatement Of the case
of the United States to Germany on
the Lusitania tragedy and all correlat-
ed subjects.
President Wilson, who returned here
Monday, lost no time in getting the
written views Of the legal experts Of
the state department and both written
and oral communications from Secre-
tary of State Lansing as to what the
reply should be.
The president made no comment on
the conference except to indicate, as
is his desire, that there should be no
speculation" on the forthcoming re-
ply. This much is nevertheless known
as coming from official sources:
The president and the secretary Of
state had no reason to again discuss
the physical facts with respect to the
Lusitania. The history of that tragedy
is complete and Interchangeable so far
as facts are concerned.
The subjects of discussion between
the president and Mr.. Lansing, it is
asserted, were solely on the legal
aspects" of the issue between the two
countries.
The legal arguments were present
ed to the president in documents
voluminous enough to fill the portfolio
of the secretary of state which he
took to the White House.
After the conference at the White
House there was the usual series Of
unauthorized statements to the effect
that the situation was grave, If not
critical" etc. Secretary of State Lam
sing and the president said nothing.
most capable authority in an
swer TO a question as to what the
German note meant to the White
House in plain language, said:
The. German reply, stripped of I'M
necessary language, is simply that the
operations of her submarines are justi-
fed as reprisals against Great Brit
ain. In other words, that neutrals
must keep out of the war zones be-
cause they have no right there under
international law.
The answer of the United States
to that is that we have the absolute
right to send out our ships to German
ports and to British ports unless we
IRE shut out by processes recognized
by international law.
Germany is, therefore, to be ad-
vised once more of our position as
thus outlined and we are to await her
reply.
Germany is also to be told for the
first time in language that cannot be
misunderstood that there is a dis
tinct line of cleavage between the
Anglo-American issues and the Amer
ican-German issues"
From the views of American Off
Gals, it seems they now understand
the facts in the German-American is
sue as they have been heretofore
bluntly expressed by a very high Ger
man official He said that the cruy
of the whole question was whether
the United States had the right, with
out challenge, to sail all seas.
Officials who have been in touch
with the president say that he will
most assuredly reaffirm the doctrine
of the "indisputable" right of sailing
such seas.