Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1915-12-29
HOLDS AUSTRIA
To RESPONSIBILITY
VIOLATE INTERNATIONAL LAW
Secretary Lansing's Note EN-
phatic in Its Declaration of
Stand of United States.
Firm Declaration That the Govern
ment of the Duel Monarchy Must
Be Held Responsible for the
Act of Naval Commander.

Washington, Dec. 22.-"The Score
tary of State to Ambassador Penteld.
Department of State. Washington.
December 10, 1915.
You are instructed to address a
note to the Austro- Hungarian minister
of foreign affairs, teXtually as follows.
1.-The government of the United
States has received the note of your
excellency relative to the sinking OF
the Ancona, which was delivered al
Vienna on December l5 1915, anG
transmitted to Washington, and has
given the note immediate and carefui
consideration
lon November Is, 1915. Baron
Zwiedenek, the charge d'affaires OF
the imperial and royal government at
Washington, transmitted to the de-
partment of state a report of the Aus
tro-Hungarian admiralty with regard
to the sinking of the steamship An
coma, in which it was admitted that
the vessel was torpedoed after hel
engines had been stopped and when
passengers were still on board.
This admission alone is, in the
view of the government of the United
States, sufficient to fix upon the com
mander of the submarine which fired
the torpedo the responsibility for hav-
ing willfully violated the recognized
law of nations and entirely disregard
ed those humane principles which ev
cry belligerent should observe in the
conduct of war at sea. In view OF
these admitted circumstances. the
government of the United States feels
justified in holding that the details OF
the sinking Of the Ancona, the weight
and character of the additional testi-
mony corroborating the admiralty's
report, and the number of Americans
killed or injured are in no way essen
tial matters of discussion. The culpa-
bility of the commander is in any case
established. and the undisputed fact
is that citizens of the United States
were killed, injured or put in jeopardy
by his lawless act.
Principles of Humanity Violated.
The rules of international law
and the principles of humanity which
were thus wilfully violated by the
commander of the submarine. have
been so long and SO universally recog-
nized, and are so manifest from the
standpoint of right and justice that
the government of the United States
does not feel called upon to debate
them and does not understand that
the imperial and royal government
questions or disputes them.
The government Of the United
States therefore finds no other course
open to it but to hold the imperial
and royal government responsible for
the act of it's naval commander, and
to renew the definite but respectful
| demands made in it's communication
of the sixth of December, 1915. 1t sin
cerely hopes that the foregoing state
ment of it's position will enable the
imperial and royal government to per
ceive the justice of these demands
and to comply with them in the same
spirit of frankness and with the same
concern for the good relations now
existing between the United States
and Austria-Hungary which prompted
the government of the United States
to make them.
LANSING"