The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1915-12-31
SECOND NOTE 70 AUSTRIA
.ON SINKING OF ANCONA|
Note Declares That Admission That
Ship Was Torpedoed After Halt
ing, Warrants Punishment.

Washington-The reply of the
| United States to Austria's note on the
| destruction of the Italian liner An
coma declares that the official admis
sion of the Austrian admiralty that
the liner was torpedoed after she had
stopped and while passengers still
were aboard alone is sufficient for the
American demand for disavOwal, re-
! paration and punishment Of the sub
marine commander.
Secretary Lansings second note to
Austria Thursday TeneWs the demands
of the United States and says the
details to which Austrip referred in
her reply to the first American com
munication are in no way essential to
the discussion. 1t emphasizes that
continuation of good relations between
the two countries depends upon the
action of the Austrian government.
The text of the note follows:
The government of the United
States has received the note of your
eXCellenCy relative to the sinking of
the Ancona, which was delivered at
Vienna on Dec. Is, 1915, and transmit
ted to Washington, and has given the
note immediate and careful considera-
ton.
"On Nov. Is, 1915, Baron Zweidinek,
the charge d'affaires Of the imperial
and royal government at Washington,
transmitted to the department of state
report of the Austro-Hungarian ad-
miralty with regard to the sinking of
the steamship Ancona, in which it was
admitted that the vessel was torpe-
doed after her engines had been stop
ped 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 commander of the submarine
which fired the torpedo the RESPONSE,
bility for having wilfully violated the
recognized law of nations and entirely
disregarded those humane principles
which every belligerent should OBJ
serve in the conduct of war at sea.
in view of these admitted circum-
stances, the government of the United
States feels justified in holding that
the details Of the sinking of the An
coma, the weight and character of the
additional testimony corrOborating the
admiralty's report and the number of
Americans killed or injured are in no
way essential matters of discussion.
The culpability of the commander is
in any case established and the undis.
puted fact is that citizens of the Unit
ed States were killed, injured or put
in jeopardy by his laWless act.
'The rules of international law and
the principles Of humanity which were
thus wilfully violated by the comman-
der Of the submarine have been so
long and so universally recognized
and are so manifest from the stand
point of right and justice that the gov
eminent of the United States does not
feel called upon to debate them and
does not understand that the imperial
and royal government questions or dis
putes 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 its naval commander and to re-
new the definite but respectful de-
mands made in it's communication of
the 9th of December, 1915. 1t sincere
ly hopes that the foregoing statement
of its position will enable the imperial
and royal government to perceive the
justice Of those demands and to COM
ply with them in the same spirit of
frankness and with the same concern
for the good relations now existing
between the United States and Aus
tria.Hungary which prompted the gov
eminent of the United States to make
them"