The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1915-06-18

udIlOudl laws. IL was us uuly W bS0 |
to It that the Lusitania was not armed |
for offensive action, that she was not
serving as a transport, that she did |
not carry a cargo prohibited by the
statutes of the United States and that
If in fact, she was naval vessel OF
Great Britain she should not receive
clearance as a merchantmen; and it
performed that duty and enforced its
statutes with scrupulous vigilance
through its regularly constituted Of
ficials. 1t is able, therefore, to as.
sure the Imperial German government
that it has been misinformed. If the
Imperial government should deem it.
self to be in possession of convincing
evidence that the officials of the gov
eminent of the United States did not
perform these duties with thorough
ness the government of the United
States sincerely hopes that it will sub
NIT that evidence for consideration.
Whatever may be the intentions of
the Imperial German government re-
garding the carriage of contraband of
war on board the Lusitania or regard
ing the explosion of that by the tor
pedo, it need only be said that in the
view of this government these conten-
lions are irrelevant to the question Of
the legality of the methods used by
the German naval authorities.
The sinking of passenger ships in
wolves principles of humanity which
throw into the background any special
circumstances of detail that may be
thought to affect the cases, principles
which lift 1t, as the Imperial govern
ment will no doubt be quick to recog-
nize and acknowledge, out of the class
of ordinary subjects Of diplomatic dis
cussion or of international contro-
versy. Whatever be the other facts
regarding the Lusitania, the principal
fact is that great steamer, primarily
and chiefly, a conveyance for passen-
gers and carrying more than a thou
sand souls who had no part or lot in
the conduct Of the war, was torpedoed
and sunk without so much as a chal-
lenge or warning, and that men, wo-
men and children were sent to their
death in circumstances unparalleled
in modern warfare The fact that
more than one hundred American cit
liens were among those who persisted
made it the duty of the government
of the United States to speak of these
things and once more with solemn
emphasis to call the attention of the
Imperial German government to the
grave responsibility which the govern
ment of the United States conceives
that it has incurred in this tragic oc-
currence, and to the indisputable prin-
ciples upon which that responsibility
rests. The government of the United
States is contending for something
much greater than mere rights of
property or privilege of commerce. 1t
is contending for nothing less high
and sacred than the rights of human
ity, which every government honor S
itself in respecting and which no gov
eminent is justified resigning on be-
half Of those under its care and au-
thority Only where actual resistance
to capture or refusal to stop when or
dered to do so for the purpose of visit
could have afforded the commander
of the submarine any justification for
so much as putting the lives of those
N hoo rd tho chin In ri 10
principle the government of the United
States understands the explicit i'm
structions issued on August 3, 1914,
by the Imperial German admiralty to
ognized and embodied, as do the naval
codes of all other nations, and upon it
every traveller and seaman had right
to depend. 1t is upon this principle
of humanity as we'll as upon the law
founded upon this principle that the
United States must stand.
The government of the United
States is happy to observe that your
eXcellencys note closes with the in
timation that the Imperial German
government is willing, now as before,
to accept the good offices of the
United States in an attempt to come to
an understanding with the government
of Great Britain by which the charac-
ter and the conditions of the war upon
the sea may be changed The gov
eminent of the United States would
consider it privilege to thus serve
their friends. 1t stands ready at any
time to convey to either government
any intimation or suggestion to the
other they may be willing to have it
convey and cordially invites the I'm
periol German government to make
use of its services in this way at its
convenience. The whole world is con-
cerned in anything that may bring
about events of the partial accommo-
dalton of interests or in any way miti-
gate the terrors of the present disas-
trous conflict.
In the meantime, wherever arrange
ment may happily be made between
the parties to the war and whatever
may be the opinion of the Imperial