Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-02-27
War Zones Nothing Less Then Piracy
Virtually Declaration of War Against All Neutral
Nations Unauthorized By international Law
w. KIRCHWEY
Kent rofesso Columbia

The action of the German govern
ment in proclaiming the waters sur
rounding Great Britain and Ireland a
"war zone which neutral shipping
will enter at it's peril, creates an ex-
tremely dangerous situation. War
zones in this sense are wholly un-
known in international law or in the
previous practice of nations at war.
The creation of such an area, in which
the destructive forces Of war are in
discriminatory let loose against all.
whether friends or enemies, who may
venture within it, comes dangerously
near to being declaration of war
against neutral commerce. 1t revives
and puts into effect, in it's most obnoxi-
Gus form, a doctrine of belligerent
rights, which has for century been
as dead as the practice of issuing let
ters of marque or other forms of legal
lied piracy-the doctrine, namely, that
neutrals have no rights which belliger-
ents are bound to respect. that nell
trail nation may properly be called up
on to choose between suicide and war
So we are now told that we must
choose between the abandonment OF
our commerce with Europe-with the
consequent paralysis of our industry
and the suffering and misery which
that will entail-or war with Germany.
"Who is not for us is against us.
AS in the case of the rape of Bel
GUM, the war on neutral commerce is
justified by the plea of national nee
essity, but this plea not only throws
overheard the hard won public right
of Europe" guaranteed by interna-
tional law, but wholly begs the ques-
ton of neutral rights. The German
argument comes to this: Great Brit
ain by her command of the sea Is
threatening Germany with starvation.
Therefore we must. by any means IN
our power, reduce the English to
neutrals must take
their chances. "The fight we enter up
on February 18th must be fought with
all recklessness," says the German
Lokal Anzeiger, and the Germans
have resolved to fight without regard
for consequences.
It Is heroic doctrine, suited to
race of supermen who have put them
selves above the international law OF
the civilized worldwide, indeed, create
their own international law on their
own national necessities-but it leaves
out of account the gains which neu-
trail peoples have in the last hundred
wears made in power, influence ana
It is inconceivable that
any neutral power which has the
and courage to resist this
usurpation on neutral rights will tame
lv acquiesce in the position to which
this doctrine assigns her.
So far as our own country is con-
cerned, the issue is clearly joined. To
Germany's declaration that
Neutral vessels which-enter
these closed waters will them
selves bear the responsibility for
any unfortunate accidents that
may occur; Germany disclaims all
responsibility for such accidents
and their consequences"
our government has already replied in
terms whose significance will not be
''If such a deplorable situation
should arise, the imperial German
government can readily appreciate
that the government Of the United
States would be constrained to
hold the imperial government of
Germany to a strict accountable
ity for such acts Of their naval
authorities, and to take any steps
it might be necessary to take to
safeguard American lives and
I~ u.l~{ n -.TSt-.-