Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-07-24

European war 10 which one Of the
combatants has reverted to the thor
ough-going logic of primitive warfare.
Finding force to be the ultimate fac
tor in war, she has declined to recog
nize any inconyenient restrictions up
on the use of force which interfered
with her purposes or methods Of war
fare. The neutral rights Of Belgian
territory lay between her and her
goal and she trod them under foot.
Rather than waste her troops In
guarding long lines of communication
in a hostile country, according to the
methods of modern warfare, she has
resorted to official terrorism of the
civil population to protect her trans
port. Unable to harm the fortresses
or battleships of her island enemy.
she has not hesitated TO lombard un.
protected towns and villages and to
torpedo unarmed merchant vessels.
II was inevitable that such an atti-
tude must sooner or later bring Ger
many into antagonism with the rights
Of every neutral nation dwelling In
or doing business in Europe and so
eventually the inevitable clash has
core with our rights.
We were not concerned as nation
In the origin or causes of the war:
we are now vitality interested in its
results. We cannot stand by and see
centuries Of progress swept into the
dust-heap without vital injury to our
national rights. From the Consolat
del Mar-that maritime code which
regulated sea trade In the middle
ages-until today, It has been beyond
dispute that the lives of neutral pas
sengers, even on the merchantmen Of
ones enemy. must be protected. This
Is q neutral right which has constant
" grown in Importance with modern
life and international intercourse. In
the middle ages il was Of benefit only
to adventurous merchants; on the
Lusitania IL was the shield Of other
wise helpless women and children
making q journey which today Is q
necessary matter of course in thou
sands Of human lives.
This right Of our neutral citizens,
sanctioned by centuries of information.
al usage, Germany has trodden down
on the plea that 1t embarrassed her
methods OF warfare, just as last An.
gust, on similar plea, she trampled
on the neutral rights Of Belgium On
" the width OF the Atlantic, not Ger
many's forbeaFance nor our power Of
self-protection, made the loss which
we sustained less than that of Bel
GUM.
In his notes on the subject. the pre-
sident Of the United States has stat
ed and defined these rights Of our
citizens with cIearness and precision
and he has concluded his statements
with words which can only mean one
thing. In his note of February 10th.
he said:
aH the commanders Of German yes.
sells of war should act upon the pre-
sumption that the flag of the United
States was not being used in good
faith and should destroy on the high
seas an American vessel or the lives
of American citizens, ii would be dill
cult for the government Of the Unit
ed States to view the act in any other
light than as an indefensible viola
ton of neutral rights which it would
be very hard, indeed, to reconcile with
the friendly relations now happily
subsisting between the two govern
ments."
In his note of May 18th, concerning
the Lnsitania he concludes with this
deliberate sentence: