Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1915-04-07
TIME-HONORED
EXCUSE.

|
commander of the German submarine
! to sink the British ship Falaba with
out waiting for all her passengers tt
/ rc, off The vessel, according to {
message from the Berlin foreig,
| office made public by the Germar
Embassy in Washington yesterday
| Leon C.. Thrasher, an American cit
/ izen, was one of those who lost
! their lives. The military necessity
! referred to in the German Statement
appears 20 have consisted in the fact
that "other ships came up" while tn,
crew and passengers of the FalahH
were leaving her. The approach OF
ether ships. in connection with the
charge that the British government
has advised it's merchantmen 20 arm
and to attack German submarines, Il
advanced as the military necessity
which required the German COM
mandcr to sink the Falaba with
many non combattants on board.
MANY brutal acts have been COM
mitted in this world under the pre-
tense of military expcdicncy-e g.:
The devastation OF the Valley Of Vir-
:.inla during the war between the
states.
Political necessity is also urged
when wars are precipitated, and the
present clash in Europe may be trac'
81 to this origin.
me world ar large knew but litti?
rs he inside history which brought
~ war between France and Gel
MANY in 1870. It was generally be
iievcd France went off half-cockeii,
In; the present conflict has brought
cot facts wI,icn tend to snow tn%'
Germany was the aggressor in ina.
instance. Without sitting in ludg-
mcnt upon tho charge that Count
Bismarck forged the dispatch whlch
forced France to declare war, bu'
that Germany was anxious Tor .
conflict with Napoleon III at that
ri,ne lin order TIA: the work of form
inc the Nolta German Confederation
might not be impeded seems to be
= fact. 1t is we'll known that Nap9-
lon, was inimica! to that confcdera-
tier. and from the German view
ooint, ne Rad to be disposed OF.
\ pro German periodical publish
cd in this country in referring TO re-
!ations between France ""ahd Ger
many during the, latter sixties says:
"French- interference prevented
--~~rB}cte unification, and the latter
mn ot Ia attained until French
...E..r.;..i.4 nony had been
5;.-,s,.l a. narck actually
,,..n.,n,, ARE let at time
,.or,I,Io :, ~ o, nv whose des-
inics he Wa la = nc III" '''''
, ;tuty as 4 sta
Dismark Gil -'1r,, ~ lo''' ..
me commencer MS paFi''-
mcntary career '& nc "''''''''
a andtag." sale
at is easy for ..-a'I'ah 10 S"i"
with the popular current, and oc-
! eide on war. and, ut the same 'l'','
comfortably to sit in his easy ch"''
| or deliver laundering speeches.
whilst the grcnadicr who bleedS 20
death on snowy plains has TO dec'''
whctbcr rhe sLatcSman's scheme
iyirrs glory and victory or defeat
ANA shame Such an attitude Is u!
c,sicst in the world. but woe TO INA
,,,,eman who in these times Goes
No.. search for reason why nc G"c'
i.o war,--a reason that must rcm"''
,,aiid even after the var
! When the iron chancellor was II
the scrc and yellow leaf and near'ns
The end Of his life he seemed {
lc laborng under some anhos'"'
"reminiscences. Among other things
he uttered these significant woF dS
II was the cause of the deaI'' o
eighty thousand men. But this ha
ucen settled with my Maker. I'll
revcries may have been put Oh 'h'
part he played in 1870.