The Odanah star. [volume] (Odanah, Ashland Co., Wis.) 1912-1916, 1915-12-24
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 Secre-
tary of State to Ambassador Penfield
Department of State. Washington.
December IS. 1915.
You are instructed to address
note to the Austro- Hungarian minister
OF foreign affairs, textually as follows.
The government of the United
States has received the note CT your
excellency relative to the sinking OF
the Ancona. which was delivered at
Vienna on December Is. 1915, and
transmitted to Washington, and has
given the note immediate and carefui
consideration.
Ion November Is, 1915. Baron
Swiedenek, the charge d'affaires OF
the imperial and royal government al
Washington. transmitted to the de-
partment of state 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 her
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.
"'Thes rules OF international law
and the principles Of humanity which
were thus wilfully violated by the
commander of the submarine. have
been 30 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"