The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-04-03
WAR ECHOES

washing gton Star: The disclosure that an American was lost when the British steamer Falaba was sunk by German submarine may give rise to diplomatic protest by this government, though there ia no present ground for expecting the United States to carry the case beyond the point of remonstrance- This matter does not lie within the range of the American note sent to Germany early in February on the subject of submarine warfare In that communication 1t was definitely stated that the United States would not regard with tolerance the sink ing of American vessels 'by mistakes for those of belligerents, Germany being placed suuarely upon her own responsibil- ity in respect to the accurate determina- ton of the nationality of ships intercepted and attacked by her submarines.
 The United States has not yet taken the position that Germany has no right to-sink the merchant ships of belligerents, and consequently cannot make an effec- tive protest now that an American, who took passage on a British ship after the commencement of the submarine block ade, has been killed along with others. To put itself on record in this matter the United States would have to protest against the practice of sinking unarmed merchantmen without giving their passen- gers and crew a chance to escape. The broad ground of such representation would be that of humanity, and not that of an offense against the United States. It is a question whether this government Is at present in a position to declare with emphasis against this practice of the Ger hnu nh ant ma pear to the people of the United States.
 St. Louis Post-Dispatch: On the two hundred and forty-frst day since the opening of the war and the forty-second day since the institution of the German undersea blockade, an instructive if also ominous feature is the failure to develop effective means of defense against sub marines.
 The merchant ships destroyed make only negligible percentage of those arriving at or departing from British ports, but the percentage of submarines destroyed by the armed vessels is even more negli- gible. Germany must have many subma- rines engaged in the blockade, but most of those sunk have met with accident, have been rammed by merchant boats or trawlers or have become entangled in fish ing nets.
 What is the great navy of the mis- tress of the seas doing to afford protec- ton against undersea fighters? Is it inn practical to send submarines against sub marines? England had many more of these vessels than Germany at the be- ginning of the war. but we have yet to
 
 Could submarines operate as success fully with protecting fleet guarding the coasts as closely as hostile fleets invested the ports of the Confederacy during the civil war? The most frequented British waters are more easily guarded than Con- federate waters were. Many of the mer- chant ships sunk by submarines have been attacked near shore or in long, mar row connecting waterways.
 Why are such shocking disasters as those to the Falaba and the Aguila in- vited by sending slow ships away singly? Why are not the less speedy vessels com peled to arrive or depart in sduadrons with ample protection from naval con voys? What are the clouds of swift tor pedo boats in the combined British and French navies doing? There are enough of them to form a guarded lane for ship ping over the whole extent of the chan mel.
 The conclusion seems irresistible that the British are chary about exposing their more useful naval vessels to submarine attack. A policy that permits the swifter merchant ships to trust to their speed while slower ones are forced to take their chances will accomplish little. The block ade cannot be pronounced failure until 1t is made reasonably certain that a sub- marine is in danger whenever it shows its head and some encouraging proportion of the encounters results in the submarines destruction.