The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-04-01

There can be but one opinion among
right men in regard to yester-
days sinking OF the English steamers
Falaba and Aguila, with their passen-
gers. by German submarines. In the
light of international law. the act was
piracy. In the light of common human
ity, it was wickedncss such as the his
tory of war will find 1t difficult to match
When the German admiralty, in its war
zone ORDER of February 4, declared that
all enemy merchant vessels encountered
by German rships in those waters
| will be destroyed. even IL it may not
be possible always to save their crews
and passengers" the belief among civil
lied communities was that tine deciara-
ton merely embodied an attempt.
through terrorism, to brighten English
commerce from the seas. Commanders
Of German submarines. it was strongly
felt, would act. when it came to action,
like the commander of the U-l6. who
said to the Berlin correspondent of the
World, in describing his recent capture
of a French merchant ship. L saw two
women and children on the deck. or
course. We couldn't torpedo ship with
women and children aboard. But II
was also clearly recognized by the out
side world that some commander might
be found who would be swayed by no
such scruples, and that therein lay the
righteousness of the admiralty order.
That apprehension has been justified by
the performance of yesterday.
1t will be impossible for the German
admiralty and the German government
to escape full responsibility for the Incl
dent. To assert, as some apologists have
done. that submarine cannot take on
board the passengers of a merchant ship,
and that therefore they must be destroy
ed with their vessel, is TO use an arsu-
ment which would equally justify cut
ting the threats of prisoners and nom
combatants on land. because an attack
Ing regiment had no means of looking
after them. When the Staats-ZcitunS
says this morning that the "howlers and
humanity " hypocrites' who cry out at
the drowning of the English passengers
must not forget that the loss OF life
through this marine catastrophe is a
trifie compared with the millions OF Ger
man women and children whom England
would like to consign to starvation, 1t
merely shows how far passion blinds
ordinarily humane individuals to distinc-
tons of right and wrong.
England has not reduced Germany's
people to famine; Germans in responsible
official positions have declared that she
could not do so. And II she were TO
succeed, under the recognized process OF
blockade. in cutting of all outside sup
plies of Germany, she would be doing. on
larger scale. precisely what the Prus-
sian army did in 1871 at the seige OF
Paris. But argument from international
law is all but out Of place in treating
of such acts as those of yesterday. 1t
is surely time for tho German govern
ment to take some thought Of what it
means to arouse. as these are certain to
do, the adherence Of the civilized world.
New York Herald,
Germany's apologists have been pro-
fuse with explanations that "kultur"
does not mean culture. Events have
proven their case. There Is no place iS
culture" for culture. for humanity or
for civilization-if civilization Ia what the
Christian world has believed it to be.
Germany's submarine warfare is re-
version to barbarism Piracy in its worst
days never INDUCED itself in such inhu-
man methods as these resorted to by
the German navy, acting under the In
structions Of the Kaiser. The ruthless
sinking of the merchant steamship Fala-
ba with its load OF innocent and peace
full noncombatants, the deliberate effort
to sink the lifeboats of the Aguila after
indifference OF the gallant" seamen Of
the German navy TO the fate Of passengers
and crew Of these and other vessels SIM
ilarly attacked-all these things reveal
the boasted "kultur" in its proper garb.
It is barbarian, barbarism run mad!
It il Uncomfortable that the great mass
of the German people can approve such
methods OF warfare. It Is Uncomfortable
that there Ia In this country single
German sympathiser who does not hang
his head In shame.
New YeSk suns
German, b development Of her military
policy has been marked by certain events
which have counted intellectually In the
formation OF neutral opinion adverse toI
the 0erm1n cause. For example:
/ Tia initial invasich Of Belgian ter
fifory.
Ths destruction Of Leuvain.