The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1915-05-20
WILSON'S NOTE TO GERMANY
IS CLEAR, CONCISE AND FIRM
No Act Will be Omitted to Maintain Right of Americans
to Travel on Any Ship on Legitimate Business.
They Will be Protected

warfare against peaceful commerce
in British waters and the killing of
neutral citizens must stop. That is
the dictum laid down by President
Wilson in the American note, called
forth by the destruction of the Lusi-
tania, presented to the German gov
eminent. The document contains Ian
guage of the firmest character. Full
text of the note follows:
Department of State,
Washington, May 10, 1915.
"The secretary of state to the Am
erican ambassador at Berlin: Please
call on the minister of foreign affairs
and after reading TO him this com
munication leave with him a copy:
"In view of recent acts of the Ger
man authorizes in violation of Ameri-
can rights on the high seas which
eliminated in the torpedoing and sink
ing of the British steamer Lusitania,
on May Z, 1915, by which over 100
American citizens lost their lives, il
is clearly wise and desirable that the
government of the United States and
the Imperial German government
should come to a clear and full un-
Outstanding 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. Thrasher, an American citi-
zen, was drowned; the attack on April
% on the American vessel Gulflight
by a German submarine, as a result
Of which two or more American citi-
Zens met their DEATH and. finally,
the torpedoing and sinking of the
of events which the government of
the United States has observed with
growing concern, distress and amaze
ment.
Recalling the humane and enlight-
ened attitude hitherto assumed by
the Imperial German government in
matters of international right, and
particularly with regard to the free
dom of the seas; having learned to
recognize the German views and the
German influence in the field of inter
national obligation as always engaged
upon the side of justice and humanity;
and having understood the instruc-
tons of the Imperial German govern
ment to its naval commanders TO be
upon the same plane of humane action
prescribed by the naval codes of other
nations, the government of the Uni
ted States was loath TO believe--it
cannot now bring itself to believe
that these acts, so absolutely con-
trary to the rules, the practices, the
spirit of modern warfare could have
the countenance or sanction of that
great government.
at feels it to be its duty, therefore,
address the Imperial German govern
ment concerning them with the ut
most frankness and in the earnest
hope that it is not mistaken in ex-
pecting action on the part Of the I'm
perial German government which will
correct the unfortunate impressions
which have been created and -vindi-
cate once more the position of that
government with regard to the sacred
freedom of the seas.
THE government of the United
States has been appraised that the
Imperial German government con-
sidered themselves to be obliged by
the extraordinary circumstances of
the present war and the measures
adopted by their adversaries in seek
ing to cut Germany off from all com.
mercial to adopt methods of retalia-
ton which go much beyond the ordi-
nary methods of warfare at sea. in
the proclamation of a war zone from
which they have warned neutral ships
TO keep away.
This government has already Ia.
ken occasion to inform the Imperial
German government that it cannot
admit the adoption of such measures
or such a warning of danger to oper.
ate as in any degree an abbreviation
of the rights of American shipmasters
or of American citizens bound on law.
full errands as passengers on mer.
chant ships of belligerent nationality;
and that it must hold the Imperial
German government to a strict &C.
countability for any infringement of
those rights, intentional or inciden.
tai.
at does not understand the i'm.
perial German government to ques.
ton those rights. II assumes, on the
contrary, that the imperial govern.
ment accepts, as of course, the rule
that the lives OF non-combatants
whether they be of neutral citizenship
or citizens of one of the nations at
war, cannot lawfully or rightfully be
put in jeopardy by the capture or de.
struction Of an unarmed merchant
man. and recognizes also, as all other
nations do. the obligation to take the
usual precaution of visit and search
TO ascertain whether a suspected mer.
chairman is, in fact, of belligerent ma.
tionality or is, in fact, carrying con.
traband OF war under a neutral flag.