New-York tribune., 1915-07-10
The United States and Germany

In dealing with the note which the m
nerial German Government is sending TO-
Washington there is precisely one point
that the people Of this country must at all
times keep in mind. No nation can con-
sent or assent to the murder Of Its cit-
zens: TO do this is to relinQuish one Of the
prime purposes of national association.
The questions that are to be settled
between Germany and ourselves are diiil-
cult but not insolube. a method OF
senaration of ammunition cargoes and
American passengers can be found a
majority of the American people seem
plainly willing that certain American
rights should be waived, that American
citizens may not be used as the screen for
the transport Of ammunition intended to-
destroy German soldiers.
But such an agreement cannot be made
so long as Germany declines to face the
Lusitania fact. The American citizens on
that British ship were travelling under
the protection of international law and
under the express guarantee Of the Presl-
dent of the United States as contained IN
his message to the German Government on
its submarine blockade. In declaring that
the German Government would be held toI
strict accountability for any infraction OF
American rights the President frankly in
vited American citizens to take ship, as
the passengers of the Lusitania did.
Now it remains for Germany to deal
with our demand for a settlement in the
Lusitania case. This is not impossible.
Already she has suggested that her IN
formation led her to believe that the ship
was armed. We have informed her that
our official records disclose the fact that
her information was wrong. But II she
proceeded on mistaken information she
can now concede this, accept the proper
responsibility and agree to the recognition
of rights invaded by her act. She can
explain that she acted on a mistaken i'm
preston, but point out that had her i'm
preston been correct her action would
have been warranted.
What this country cannot endure is
that Germany should ignore the LusitaniaI
incident and seek to traffic in our rights
on the basis that her necessities permit
her to commit murder and disregard law
whenever she chooses. We may not fight
for our dead, but we cannot abandon
them. We may be willing TO negotiate,
but we cannot consent to surrender our
rights at the pistols point.
No question of ammunition, Of property,
of material interest is Of moment here.
On this issue the United States stands
forth as the champion not alone of its
own citizens, but Of international law and
humane practice for the whole world. If
international law can be neglected at the
pleasure of one nation, it will be neglected
by all, and we shall 90 back to essential
barbarism. If a nation can resort to muir
der. kill not enemies but neutrals when
ever it pleases and compel the country
whose neutrals have been murdered to
assent to their assassination, we are back
in the Dark Ages.
Our dead, who have been scattered over
the seas, our women and children who
were the victims of German aggression,
were covered by the protection Of Ameri-
can nationality and the guarantee Of their
flag. They are dead. But we cannot be-
come accompGces to their murder by per-
hitting the nation which murdered them
to decline all discussion Of the crime. all
responsibility for the assault upon our
rights.
If the United States to-day abandons
the case Of its murdered citizens it will
be dishonored; but, even worse, the whole
world will suffer through the successful
assertion of the doctrine that law, hu-
manity. all that civilization means, can
be abolished with perfect impunity by any
nation at war and ready to seek victory
in any pathways. We shall consent to-
the doctrine that might is right, and we
shall consent to it in the face of the fact
that our own citizens have been slain toI
establish il.
Let us think clearly about all this. Let
us see clearly that there is in this no
question Of arms or ammunition-no ques-
tion of assisting one belligerent at the
expense of another. We are in the pres
ence of something more vital than proper
ty rights, something more sacred thar the
selfish interests of one nation. All civili-
zation falls if it be asserted successfully
by one nation that there are no rights,