The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1915-06-17
ext Of the Note.

| lation but with raw materials of all
kinds.
Text Of the Note.
The teyt Of the American reioinder
to the German Governments reply to
tue note following the sinking of the
L'1sitania follows:
| THE Secretary of State sd interim to
the American AMBASSADOR at Ber-
lin:
Department Of State,
Washing ton, June 8, 1915
American Ambassador, Berlin:
"You are Instructed to deliver text
ually the following note to the Min
! lister OF Foreign Affairs:
In compliance with Your Excel
lency's request I did not fail to trau5-
nit to my government immediately
upon their recipt your note of May
2S in reply to my note CT May Is, and
your supplementary note of June /,
/ setting forth the conclusions SO far as
reached by the Imperial Government
| concerning the attacks on the Ameri-
| can steamers Gushing and Gulfi!gat.
] am now Instructed by my Govern
msnt 70 communicate the following
n reply:
s'The Govern Tneht OF the United
States notes with qualification the full
/ recognition by the Imperial German
Govern nlent in discussing the cases Of
the Cushing and the Gulfiight of the
principle OF the freedom Of all parts
OF the open sea 10 neutral ships and
the frank Willingness Of the Imperial
German Government to acknowledge
and meets its liability where the fact
of attack upon neutral ships which
have not been guilty OF any hostile
act by German aircraft Or vessels of
war is satisfactory established and
the Government of the United States
will in due course ~ before. the I'm
perial German Government, as It re-
quests, fult information concerning
the attack on the steamer Cdshtdg.
with regard to- the sinking OF the
steamer Falaha, by which an Amer1-
can citizen lost his life, the Govern.
ment of the United States is surprised
TO find tire Imperial German Govern
1nent contending that an effort on the
part Of q merchantnan 10 escape cap
tura and secure assistance alters
Tie Obligation OF the OFFICER seeking
to make the capture in respect G;
the safety of the lives Of those on
board the merchantmen although the
..c,-.--1 las ece3 her ATTEMPT to es~
cape Wren torpedoed. These are not
new circumstances. They have been
in the minds Of statesmen and of III
tarnational jurists throughout the cs-
velopnlent OF naval warfare and tie
goyernm ent Of the United States does
, not understand that they have ever
been held to alter. the principles OF
humanity upsn which it has Insisted
Nothing but actual fcrcible resistance
or continued efforts to escape by
flight when ordered to stop for the
purpose of visit en- the part Of the
merchantnle e1t las ever been held tt
forfeit The lives OF her passengers o.
crew The government Of the United
States, however, does not understand
{ that tie Imperial German government
IS seeking in this case to relieve it
self OF liability. brt only intends tf
set fortl the circumstances which lee
the commander Of the submarine t
allow himself to be hurried into ths
course which he toclk.
, your exceIlency's note in discuss
7 ing the loss Of American lives result
ing from the sinking Of the steam
: shin Lusitania. adVerts at some
T length to certain information whicl
+ the Imperial German governnant ha
: received with regard to the characte
>c
: excellency eynEesses the fear that thi
information may not have beel
brought to the attention CT the gov
ernnent OF the United States. Il /
: stated in the note that the Lusttani
= was undorb btedly equinped with mask
: ed guns, supplied with trained CUR
rers end special ammunition, trans
: porting troops from Canada, carryin
= a cargo not permitted under the law
- OF the C&ited States to a vessel ais
carrying passengers and serving /
: virtual effect as an auxiliary to tt
: naval forces OF Great Britain. Fo
:. tunate3y these ere matters concer1
ing which the government OF the Tn
ted States Is IL q position to give tn
:, Imperial Gernan government offiaiz
e
your excellency's note, If true, th
, government of the United Stats
would nave been bound to take Q
fetal cognizance in performing Il
IL recognized duty as neutral powe
II and in enforcing its national laws.
u was its duty to see that the Lusitani
- was not armed for offensive act:o
u that she was not serving as a tran
% port, that she did not carry a cars
a prohibited by the statutes OF tt
~ United States and that, if in ia,
she was a naval vessel of Gre;
ID Britain. she should not receive clea
n anee as merchantmen; and 1t pc
formed that duty and enforced i
le statutes with scrupp1oUs vigilan,
n through its regularly constituted Of
'r- cials It Is able, therefore, to assul
u the Imperial German governmel
ce that 1t has been misinforned. II Il
r. ImpeIal German government sllou
40 deem itself to be in possession of co
I'd vinci1ig evidence that the officials
nt the government of the United Stat,
n did not perform these duties wi
vi +71nrcr- c-I,r ees the government of fl