Mexico Missouri message., 1915-05-20

struction of an unarmed merchant
man., and recognize 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 contra
band of war under a neutral flag.
Fairness impossible With Submarines.
'The government of the United
States, therefore, desires to call the
attention of the Imperial German gov
eminent with the utmost earnestness
to the fact that the objection to their
present method of attack against the
trade of their enemies lies in the prac-
teal impossibility of employing sub
marines in the destruction of COM
merce without disregarding those
rules Of fairness, reason, justice and
humanity which all modern opinion
regards as imperative. It is practi-
cally impossible for the officers of a
submarine to visit merchantmen at
sea and examine her papers and car
go. 1t is practically impossible for
them to make prize of her, and, if
they cannot put a prize crew on board
of her, they cannot sink her without
leaving her crew and all on board of
her to the mercy of the sea in her
small boats. These facts. it is under
stood, the Imperial German govern
ment frankly admits. ; We are in
formed that, in the instances of which
we have spoken, time enough for even
that poor measure of safety was not
| given, and in at least two of the cases
cited not so much as a warning was
received. Manifestly submarines can
not be used against merchantmen, as
the last few weeks have shown, with.
out an inevitable violation of many
sacred principles of justice and hui
mainly
American citizens act within their
ipdisputable rights in taking their
ships and in travelling wherever their
legitimate business calls them upon
the high seas and exercise those
rights in what should be the well
justified confidence that their lives
will not be endangered by acts done
in clear violation of universally ac
knowleged international obligation
and certainly in the confidence that
their own government will sustain
them in the exercise of their rights.
Apology and Reparatlon Expected.
There was recently published in
the newspapers of the United States
regret to inform the Imperial Ger
man government, a formal warning
purporting to come from the Imperial
German embassy at Washington, lad
dressed to the people of the United
States and stating in effect that any
citizen of the United States who eX
ercises his right of free travel upoT
the seas would do so at his peril il
his journey should take him within
the zone of water within which the
Imperial German navy was using sub
marines against the commerce o.
Great Britain and France, notwith
standing the respectful but very
earnest protest Of his government
the government of the United States
do not refer to this for the purpose
of calling the attention of the Imperia
German government at this time t
the surprising irregularity of a com
munication from the Imperial Ger
man embassy at Washington, ad
dressed to the people of the United
, States through the newspapers, bu
, only for the purpose of pointing on
, that no warning that an unlawful ant
, inhuman act would be committed car
possibly be accepted as an excuse o
, palliltion for that act or as an abate
ment of the responsibility for ii
, commission.
l Long acquainted as this government
I has been with the character of tn
3 Imperial German government ant
I with the high principles of equity b,
: which they have in the past beel
{ actuated and guided, the government
1 of the United States cannot believ
: that the commanders of the vesse
: which committed these acts of law
e Iessness did so except under a mis-
I apprehension of the orders issued b
: the Imperial German naval author
e ties, 1t takes it for granted that, a
:, least within the practical possibilitie
{ Of every such case, the commander!
Q even of submarines, were expecte
r to do nothing that would involve tn
/ lives of noncombatants or the saiet
:, Of neutral ships, even at the cost c
t failing Of their object of capture Q
q destruction. 1t confidently expects
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His Question.
l. Seven men out of every ten ar
confounded bores!" emphatically d.
clared Alexander Akinside, the dyt
r peptie dissertationist,
Why except the other threel
It snarled ]. Fuller Gloom, the widel
r. known and cordially detested misal
thrope