The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1915-05-19

perial German Government to Ques-
ton those rights. 1t assumes, on
the contrary, that the Imperial
Government accept, as of course, the
rule that the lives of noncombat-
ants, whether they be of neutral
citizenship or citizens of one of the
nations at war, cannot lawfully or
rightfully be put in jeopardy by the
capture or destruction of an un-
armed merchantmen, and recognize
also. as all other nations do. the
obligation to take the usual precau-
ton of visit and search to ascertain
whether a suspected merchantmen
is in fact of belligerent nationality
or is in fact carrying contraband of
war under a neutral flag.
1.-The Government of the United
States, therefore, desires to call the
attention of the Imperial German
Government, with the utmost earnest
ness, to the fact that objection to
their present method of attack
against the trade of their enemies
lies in the practical impossibility of
employing submarines in the de-
struction of commerce without dis
regarding those rules of fairness,
reason, justice and humanity, which
all modern opinion regards as i'm
perative. II is practically impossi-
BILE for the officers of submarines to
visit merchantmen at sea and ex-
anime her papers and cargo. 1t is
| practically impossible for them toll
make a prize of her; and, if they
can not put a prize crew on board
of her, they can not sink her with
out leaving her crew and all on boarf
her to the mercy of the sea in
small boats. These acts it is under
stood the Imperial German Govern
ment frankly admit. We are in
formed that in the instances of
A., which We have spoken, time enough
for even that poor measure of safe
ty was not given, and in at least two
of the cases cited not so much as a
warning was received. Manifestly
submarines can not be used against
merchantmen, as the last few weeks
have shown, without the inevitable
violation of many sacred principles
Of justice and humanity.
American citizens act within
their indisputable rights in taking
their ships and in travelling where
ever their legitimate business calls
them upon the high seas and exer-
else those rights in what should be
well-justified confidence that their
lives will not be endangered by acts
done in clear violation of universal
ly acknowledged international obli-
cations, and certainly in the conf
dence that their own Government
will sustain them in the exercise of
their rights.
There was recently published in
newspapers of the United States,
regret to inform the Imperial Ger
man Government, formal warning,
purporting to come from the Impe- |
rial German Embassy inWashington,
addressed to the people of the Unit
ed States. and stating. in effect, that
any citizen of the United States who
exercised his right of free travel
upon the seas would do so at his
peril If his journey should take
him within the zone of waters with
in which the Imperial German navy
is using submarines against the
commerce of Great Britain and
France. Notwithstanding the respect
full but very earnest protest of his
Government, the Government of the
United States. do not refer to this
for the purpose OF calling the atten-
ton of the Imperial German Gov
eminent at this time to the surpris-
ing irregularity of communication |
from the Imperial German Embassy
at Washington. addressed to the |
people of the United States through |
newspapers, but only for the pur-
pose Of pointing out that no warn
Ing that an unlawful and inhumane
act will be committed can possibly
be accepted as excuse or palliation
for that act. or as abatement of re-
sponsibility for its commission.
Long acquainted as this Govern
ment has been with the character of
the Imperial German Government
and the high principles of equity by
which they have in the past been
actuated and guided. the Govern
ment OF the United States can not
believe that commanders OF vessels
which committed these acts of law
lessness did so except under misap-
prehension OF orders issued by the
Imperial German naval authorities. Y