The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1915-08-20
Deliberately Unfriendlv

- ERMANY has once more struck down the
~ hand held out to it in persistent friendship
by the United States. The sinking unwarned, OF
the White Star liner Arabic yesterday off the
coast of Ireland, while en- route to the United
States with American passengers on board, is
Berlin's reply to Washington, slap in the facs.
for President Wilson, the deliberately unfriendly
act against Which Secretary 'Gahsing Warned the
German government u 1I2a'e'ph4
There is no excuse except that of an intention
to murder to be made in regard to the submarin-
ing of the Arabic She was not carrying NUM-
tons of war; because she returning to the Uni
ted States. She was not carrying supplies for the
armed forces of Germany's enemies She was not
resisting capture. She was not an armed vessel
None oflthe sophistries whiohy Berlin, attempted to
advance to excuse the slaughter of the women and
babies of the Lusitana can be even remotely APP
piled in the case of the Arabic.
"Frightfulness" covers the entire case, The
sinking of the Arabic in complete disregard of the
fate of the noncombatants, neutrals women and
children aboard is 'frightfulness' carried to its
logical conclusion, and the finishing touch to the
whole bloodthirsty feat given in the fact that
the passenger liner was attacked while on an err
rand of mercy to rescue the survivors of another
sinking ship. ""#
If President Wilson intends to do more than
talk, now is the time for him to show it. His
choice this day is between complete backdown
or an immediate severing of diplomatic relations
with Germany. On July 81, less than one month
ago, his secretary of state addressed these words
to Berlin:
In view Of the admission Of ilegality made by the
Imperial Government when It pleaded the right Of
retaliation In defense of its acts and in view Of the
manifest possibilities Of conforming to the estab-
lished rules Of warfare the government Of the
United States cannot believe that the Imperial Gov
eminent win longer refrain from dlIavowing the
wanton act Of its naval commander In sinking the
Lusitania or from offering reparation for the Amer
lean lives lost far reparation can be made FOR
needless destruction of human life by an Illegal
In the meantime the very value which this gov
eminent sets upon the long and unbroken friendship
between the people and government Of the United
States and the people and government Of the Ger
man nation mpels It to press very solemny upon the
Imperial German government the nee essity for .
scrupuous Observance of neutral rights In this critical
Imperial Government that repetition by the com.
manders Of German naval vessels Of acts in contra
vetion Of those rights must be regarded by the
eminent Of the United States when they affect Amer
lean citizens, as deliberately unfriendly
Not word in the American note but applies
directly to the sinking off the Irish coast yesterday
of the Arabic an act that transcends in ilegality
the sinking of the Lusitania, because the Arabic
was coming fromthe, British Isles and not going
to them. The commander Of the submarine which
torpedoed the White Star liner had every reason
to believe that there were American citizens aboard
the ship. He could not have been without knowl-
edge that the destruction of the liner, without a
warning being given to her crew and passengers,
would be the deliberately unfriendly act against
which the United States had issued solemn warn
ing He would not have dared discharge that
torpedo against the Arabic under the circumstances
of the deed without the direct authority of the
German admiralty
The deliberately unfriendly" act has been COM
mitted, with cold blooded calculation.
What will the United States do?