The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1915-05-21
NOTE INSISTS UPON ABSOLUTE
CESSATION BY GERMANY OF
SUBMARINE ATTACKS ON
SHIPS BEARING. NON
COMBATANTS.
TO LEAVE NOTHING UND0NE
TO PERFORM SACRED DUTY
Communication States That Rights of
United States and Its Citizens Will
Be acknowledgements Elk
pectation Imperial Government
May Disavow Acts.

Washington, May 15.-The Unite
States government has cabled Ambas
sador Gerard for presentation to tn
German government note calling al
tention ito the grave situation whlcl
has resulted" from violation of Amer
lean rights on the high seas, culminat
ing in the sinking of the Lusitani;
with loss of more than 100 Ameri
can lives.
Germany May Disavow Acts.
The communication expresses thu
confident expectation of the Unitet
States that the Imperial German gov
eminent may disavow the acts o
which the government of the United
States complains, that they will make
PREPARATION so far as PREPARATION is pos
sible for injuries which are without
measure and that they will take i'm
mediate steps to prevent the reoc
currence of anything so obviously
subversive of the principles of war
fare for which the Imperial German
government in the past so wisely and
so firmly commended"
U. S. to Uphold Rights.
In it's conclusion, the note states
that 1.-The chief imperial government
will not expect the government of the
United States to omit any word or
any act necessary to the performance
of it's sacred duty of maintaining the
right of the United States and its citi-
zens and of safeguarding their free
exercise and enjoyment
Text Made Public.
The text of the note made public by
the state department, is, in part, as
follows:
Department Of State, Washington.
1.-The secretary of state to the
American ambassador at Berlin.
Please call on the minister of for
eign affairs and after reading to him
this communication leave with him a
copy.
In view of recent acts of the Ger
man authorities in violation of Amer
lean rights on the high seas, which
eliminated in the torpedoing and sink
ing the British steamer Lusitania on
May z, 1915, by which over 100 Amer
lean citizens lost their lives, it is
clearly wise and desirable that the
government of the United States and
the Imperial German government
should come to clear and full under
standing as to the grave situation
which has resulted.
The sinking of the British passen-
ger steamer Falaba by a German sub
marine on March %, through which
Leon c. Thresher, an American citi-
zen, was drowned; the attack on April
% on the American vessel Gushing by
d German acceptance; the torpedoing
flight by German submarine, as
result of which two or more Ameri-
can citizens met their death, and,
finally, the torpedoing and sinking of
the Lusitania, constitute a series of
events which the government of the
United States has observed with grow
ing concern, distress and amazement.
Sanctioned by Germany?
Recalling the humane and enlight-
ened attitude hitherto assumed by the
Imperial German government in mat
ters of international right and par
ticularly with regard to the freedom
Of the seas; having learned to recog
nize the German views and the Ger
man influence in the field of interna-
.ional obligation as always engaged
upon the side of justice and human
ty, and having understood the in
ytructions of the Imperial German
government to its naval commanders |
o be upon the same plane of humane
action prescribed by the naval codes |
If other nations, the government of |
he United States was loath to believe !
lit cannot now bring itself to believe
that these acts, so absolutely con-
rary to the rules, the practices, and
he spirit of modern warfare could |
lave the countenance or sanction of
hat great government. 1t feels it to
'e it's duty, therefore, to address the
imperial German government cob
erning them with the utmost frank
less and in the earnest hope that 1t is
lot mistaken in expecting action on
he part OF the Imperial German gov
rnment which will correct the unfor-