Evening star., 1915-07-11
The Ship Protects the Passengers.

The second German note to the
United States on the Lusitama at
fair, after suggesting that Americans
NAV travel at sea in safety by using
American vessels carrying no contra
band of war and, if they do not at
ford sufficient carrying capacity, four
designated enemy passenger ships
flying the flag of this country. says; :;
THE imperial government be-
lieves it can assume that IN this man
ner adequate facilities for travel
across the Atlantic ocean can be at
forded American citizens. There
would, therefore, appear to be no
compelling necessity for American
citizens to travel to Europe in time
or war on ships carrying an enemy
flag. In particular. the imperial gov
ernment is unable to admit that
American citizens can protect an
enemy ship through the mere fact OF
their presence on board
The United States has never assert
ed or claimed that American citizens
afford protection to an enemy ship.
1t has, on the contrary, taken the
position that the ship, whatever its
flag. protects its passengers, of what
ever nationality. 1t has claimed that
no hostile power has the right to
sink a non-combatant vessel without
giving an ample opportunity for the
rescue of its passengers, even il the
ship contains contraband. 1t does not
deny to Germany the right of search
or the right to destroy ship con-
tanning contraband provided it is i'm
possible to convoy her as prize to
a German port. Inasmuch as it is
thus impossible in submarine warfare
to preserve a vessel intact when
seized it follows that under the
American contention submarine
commander must, upon overhauling
contraband carrier, give abundant
opportunity for the ships company
20 escape before sending her to the
bottom.
On this point, which is the essential
of the American demands. Germany is
now silent save that it is suggested
that the submarine that sank the
Lusitania would have been herself
destroyed if she had allowed the pas
sengers and crew of the liner to take
to the boats before firing a torpedo
"a suggestion not justified by the
known facts-and that if it had not
been for certain peculiar circum-
stances" especially the presence on
board of explosives, the Lusitania
would have remained afoat after be-
ing struck loEg enough to permit her
company to take to small boats. In
other words, Germany claims the
right to torpedo on sight any vessel
suspected-not positively known-to
carry contraband and to leave the
passengers and crew to their fate.
This is precisely contrary to the
American view, as stated in the notes
heretofore sent to Germany-that
the ship protects the passengers, un-
til it is necessary for them to leave
her, on discovery of the presence of
eontraband on board, and that they
must then be given the protection
OF An opportunity to escape before
the ship is sunk.
In this second note Germany in
effect claims the right to sink on
sight any enemy passenger ship or
any American ship carrying contra
band without warning-the right, in
short, to destroy innocent lives by
wholesale, a right. which the United
States has not conceded and which
it cannot concede without a COM
plete withdrawal from the position
it so strongly took in the first stage
OF the negotiations.