New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-07-18
Still Disregarding
Rights.
American

ANiSiNo'
The public here has been cajoled re-
Gently with a piece of fiction constructed
for a purpose. That is the assurance
that Germany has decided to live up to
the obligations Of international law and
to the dictates of humanity in dealing
with unarmed enemy merchantmen.
Several cases were recently reported IN
which German submarine commanders
before sinking such merchantmen OBJ
served the rule of visitation and search
and gave non-combatants on board an
ample opportunity to take to the boats
1t was suggested that the faster and
larger German submarines, which carry
rapid-fire guns on their decks, are now
able to overhaul and seize merchant
vessel in much the same manner as
cruiser would. Improvements in construc-
ton were therefore said to have modified
the German submarine campaign in the
direction of greater regularity and fuller
respect for the rights of non-combatants
and neutrals.
believe that Germany has abandoned her
lawless methods of warfare at sea. But
it is clear that no orders have yet been
sent from Berlin imposing compliance
with the rules of international law on
German submarine commanders. In the
early part of last week a German subma-
rine sank, without warning, the Russian
steamer Leo, which carried three Amerl-
can passengers. They escaped with their
lives. But that escape was in no way due
to the good will or correct procedure of
the submarines captain.
The latter took a chance that there were
no neutral passengers aboard the Leo and
torpedoed her without search or warning.
The Orduna, which arrived in this port
Yesterday, narrowly escaped the Leo's
fate. She also carried American and
other neutral passengers, and according
to their account a German submarine
discharged a torpedo at her before at
tempting to stop her by signal or gunfire.
These happenings of the past week ex-
plode the specious fiction that German sub
marine warfare has assumed humaner
and more legitimate form. The attacks
on the Leo and the Orduna were not acct
dental or careless lapses back to the
methods of the original campaign of
piracy and murder. They were in line
with the still unmodifed programme of
the German Admiralty. They were exem-
Publications. of the Won Tirpitz policy of
terrorism, which represents Germany's
purpose just as much to-day as it did on
the day of the Lusitania massacre.
That policy of terrorism was avowed
afresh in the memorandum in which Ger
many offered to make reparation for the
torpedoing of the Nebraskan. 1t was
avowed with the utmost righteousness in
these two sentences:
Since the commander Of the submarine
obliged 10 assume from his wide experience
in the area of maritime war that only English
steamers and no neutral steamers traversed
this war area without flag or markings he at
tackled the vessel with a torpedo, in the con-
viction that he had an enemy vessel before
him. 1t results from this without a
DOUBT mat the attack on Ine steamer We
braskan was not meant for the American flag;
Tor is it traceable to any fault on the part
of the commander of the German submarine,
but is TO be. considered an unfortunate acct
dent.
If the Orduna had been sunk and more
American lives had been lost, that would
not even have been an unfortunate acct
dent" 1t would have been in the German
view a meritorious performance on the
part of the submarine commander, per-
Torrance which the government at Berlin
would no more have disavowed than it has
disavowed the slaughter Of Americans on
the Lusitania.
The German programme Of outrage at
sea is a continuous and continuing one.
We shall not be able to escape its chal
lenge to neutral rights until we secure
binding promise from Germany to observe
the obligations of international law, so far
as Americans are concerned, in her war
fare upon unarmed merchantmen.