Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-07-14

Separating Passengers From Contra
band
springfield Republican,


(Springfield Republican,
The Lusitania question is not the am
munition question. a fact that appears
to be ignored in certain quarters and
here and there by individuals. In pro-
claiming war zons around the British
Isles on February 4, the German govern
ment notified the world that lon and
after the 18th of February, 1915. every
Workmanship found in the said war zone
will be destroyed without its being al
ways possible to avert the dangers
threatening the crews and passengers on
that account And the German SUBJ
marines have consistently attacked mer-
chant shipping entirely regardless Of the
fact that contraband might or might not
be in the cargo.
The submarine war was not begun as
warfare against ammunition ships and
it is not being so conducted today. 1t is
warfare against all ships. 1t is shifty
and disingenious bit of special pleading
for the German foreign minister to say.
in defense OF the torpedoing of the Lusi-
tania, that if the ship had been spared
thousands of cases of ammunition would
thereby thousands of German mothers
and children robbed Of their supporters"
The Lusitania was doomed. regardless Of
the character Of her cargo. under the
terms of the original German proclama-
ton Of the war zone. The Falaba. on
which an American citizen. Mr.. Thresh-
er, lost his life. was a passenger ship
bound for Africa and there was certainly
no war material on board: yet the Fala-
ba was torpedoed with a large number
of fatalities.
Separating passengers from contra
band would not solve the problem. Ger
many would still torpedo innocent pas
senger ships under the British or
French flags without warning, and
American citizens aboard such ships
would go to the bottom without chance
for their lives. Our government cannot
forbid Americans from travelling on
British or French passenger ships
whatever their cargoes may be, and
Americans who may choose to take pas
sage on such unarmed merchantmen
would still be entitled to their own gov
ernment's intervention in support Of
their rights of travel as defined by in
ternational law and the treaties of the
United States.
AS for American passenger ships, like
other countries ships. they are built to
carry both passengers and freight.
Every German liner tied UP at hoboken
piers is cargo carrier as well as a
passenger carrier. Carrying passengers
alone is not profitable business. Our
passenger ships may carry contraband
if their owners wish to have them, sub
ject to the well established rules con-
corning visitation and search on the
high seas. The German government to
American ships whether in the freight
and passenger traffic.
The more one studies the latest Ger
man note and observes the inclusion of
the separation of passengers from con-
traband in the conditions the German
government suggests as an equivalent
for the elimination of any unforeseen
dangers to American passenger steam
ers," the more distinct becomes the aid
that William Jennings Bryan has been
giving to German diplomacy in the pres
ent crisis. DR.. Won Jagow may well pre-
sent his compliments and the assur-
ances of his most distinguished coneid-
Grafton to our former secretary Of
state. For he has evidently injected
this little complication into the argu-
ment after noting that it was a Bryan
idea.